The place was drafty and on extremely cold, winter nights our Mother didn’t want us children to be cold. Consequently, we had all available blankets, quilts, coats and floor mats piled on top of us in bed. We were sore in the morning from the heavy weight, but we were warm!

Regardless of its simplicity, it was our own home and, for the rest of our growing-up years, my two siblings, Lorraine and Gerard, and I enjoyed the security, comfort, peace, and love of our parents, Neil and Matilda, in our humble surroundings.