Thursday, January 1st, 2026. 7:46 PM.
How Things Have Changed . . .
From growing up on Sweet Avenue in Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Beginning in mid-November of 1951
To
January 1st, 2026
74 years old now.
Still walk on Sweet Avenue sometimes
But don’t live there anymore
The house(s) I lived in in the 1950s and 1960s
Are still there
All Our Family is gone away.
Memere Wilbur’s garden is now used for parking cars.
I remember that garden and the many vegetables Me mere grew in there: tomatoes, and cucumbers and peppers and yellow squash and potatoes and rhubarb; and there was a grape vine at the border of the garden that separated the garden from the backyard where there was an apple tree and picnic table under it. We often had supper at that picnic table in the summertime. And there was a pear tree and a cherry tree, and a big maple tree near the sidewalk. And an American flagpole in the center of the garden – with a flag flying on it. And Me mere gave her vegetables away for free to her daughter, my mom. There was also an apricot tree in the garden. It is amazing that so many things were growing in that garden. And Me mere also worked full-time at The Falls Yarn Mill at Market Square in downtown Woonsocket, RI. And when she had completed watering the garden with her garden hose, she watered down the driveway and backyard with that hose. And, incredibly, there was another pear tree in the backyard and another grape vine there, too. And there were hedges between the garden and the sidewalk; and Me mere trimmed those hedges herself with a big cutting tool that looked like giant scissors. And she put out three large rubbish barrels on the sidewalk each week; and returned them all into the backyard, later. And Me mere was just about 5 feet tall. And she would invite me into her apartment sometimes; and give me a cup of tea; and a slice of toasted Brunetti’s Italian bread with something delicious on top. She also sent me to Elm Street Variety to buy a loaf of that Italian bread; and a bottle of milk. Many years later, I worked at that bakery on Elbow Street.
Mr. Barrette’s garden — which was across the street — now has a new house there.
Paul Richards no longer shoots baskets beside his grandfather’s garden.
The sound of his basketball hitting the pavement is no longer heard.
The Barrette Family no longer gathers on Sunday evenings sitting in chairs outside.
Evette Plante and her family are no longer living in the huge house where Par-X Bakery was on the first floor.
George Cournoyer and his family are also no longer living on the 4th-floor of that same house.
Gary Garcia and his family are no longer living in a house on Sweet Avenue across the street from Emerson Street – next to the parking lot where we played baseball.
The Blanchette’s are no longer living in the house across from that parking lot facing Emerson Street.
My Uncle Bob Richer no longer comes to Par-X Bakery in his bread delivery truck and honks his horn when he sees his younger brother’s children playing on the sidewalk of Sweet Avenue.
Mark is no longer riding his bike on a beautiful summer day as a young boy thinking of Polly Anna –after seeing the movie the night before – at the outdoor drive-in with family — and feeling like he’s in love with her – after seeing that movie the day before.
All the houses on Sweet Avenue are still there; but the people who lived in them in the ‘50s and ‘60s are all gone away.
Alec Ray and his wife Alice, the Desjardins, the Cote’s, the widow Mrs. Houle, the Fregeau’s, the Provonchi’s, the Nault’s, the Camilucci’s, the Desrosier’s, the Oberzol’s – Marylyn, Jo Ann and their Mom and Dad; the lady piano teacher, Mrs. Masse and her husband the printer; Mr. Fortin, the Grennon family, Mr. Morris Pelletier and his wife Bella, my grandmother’s handy man – their children, Norman and Irene; Richard Roy who lived for a while in Mr. and Mrs. Sutherland’s big 6-apartment house facing Stanley Avenue and next to Me mere Wilbur’s garden; the Durand’s and the Lambert’s and the Lessard’s. Elmer Wilbur, my grandfather. God bless him and all our neighbors. Amen.
My cousin Milton’s dog. Think her name was Lady. She lived her life on Sweet Avenue in a kennel — all alone in Me mere Wilbur’s garden. It seemed that she was only allowed to come out of that kennel when she was taken to Vermont to go hunting. I’m so sorry for her.
My mother’s brother, my Uncle Milton and his wife, Aunt Pauline and our cousins Milton, Phyllis and Paula; and mom’s older sister, Aunt Dorothy – they all lived in the same 3-story apartment house as we did. We were all family in that tenement house, and we are all gone now from Sweet Avenue.
And Par-X Club – straight up Stanley Avenue – almost directly across the street from our grandmother’s property – is now becoming the location of New Beginnings for providing meals for people-in-need.
God Bless Sweet Avenue and Stanley Avenue and Emerson Street.
God Bless New Beginnings
God Bless Woonsocket
God Bless Rhode Island
God Bless the United States of America
God Bless All Nations on Earth
God Bless Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
God Bless His Second Coming
God Bless Our Heavenly Father
God Bless His Coming Kingdom
The Kingdom of God
God Bless my Dad and Mom and all 7 of their children born at Woonsocket Hospital
And all our Aunts and Uncles and Me mere Richer and Grandfather Donat Richer and all the members of the Richer and Roy and Wilbur and Depot families and all their extended families. And God Bless all the people on Earth; and Johnny the Cobbler and Mr. Farland and his wife and children; and my childhood good friend Jimmy Farland. And Henry who worked at Mr. Farland’s Grocery Store — and Mrs. Duhamel and Margaret Farland – and Jimmy’s brothers John and Fred who also worked at Farland’s Grocery Store on Elm Street — where mom often sent me to buy a few things for our family – across the street from The House of Brides – where Elm Street Pizza is now.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
Amen
Maranatha
I’m so sorry that life and me
aren’t the way we used to be.
I hope that this is the kind of grief that produces repentance written about in Scripture.
“For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” -2 Corinthians 7: 10. ESV Study Bible.
Pollyanna – Refracted Light
‘America the Beautiful’ sung by a very young Hayley Mills (Pollyanna)
‘America the Beautiful’ sung by a very young Hayley Mills (Pollyanna)
You Surely Will
The Day After New Year’s Day
January 2nd, 2026
There is so much more to come . . .
Yet, I still recall somethings – many things . . .
My mom’s first name is Beulah
She was born on February 11th, 1930 –
“The day before Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday”
She always liked to say that about her birthday.
I like to say that, I believe 8 is my number.
So many things in my life have the number 8.
My mom lived 88-and-one-half years and 4 days.
And when our family was continuing to grow larger, we moved into a “new” house in the backyard – that my mom’s mom, Dora Depot Wilbur, had built for all our family. We moved into that “new” house on the Saturday evening before Mother’s Day in 1961 – May 13th. My dad’s brothers and brothers-in-law came that evening and helped us move all our furniture and everything else from our 3rd-floor apartment into our “new” house in the backyard. We awoke the next morning, for the first time, in our new house and home, on May 14th, 1961 – the 13th anniversary of the founding of The State of Israel on May 14th, 1948. My parents got married on, I believe, June 19th, 1948. That is now called Freedom Day and also called Juneteenth.
The name Beulah is in the Bible – in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah it is written:
“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
For Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet,
Till her righteousness shines out like the dawn,
Her salvation like a blazing torch.
“The nations will see your righteousness,
And all kings your glory;
You will be called by a new name
That the mouth of the LORD will bestow.
You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD’s hand,
A royal diadem in the hand of your God.
No longer will they call you Deserted,
Or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah,
And your land Beulah;
For the LORD will take delight in you,
And your land will be married.
As a young man marries a maiden,
So your sons will marry you;
As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride,
So will your God rejoice over you.” -Isaiah 62: 1-5 NIV Study Bible.
Isaiah 62 NIV
Isaiah 62 NIV – Zion’s New Name – For Zion’s sake I – Bible Gateway
Sweet Beulah Land – Squire Parsons
Sweet Beulah Land – Squire Parsons – YouTube
More about the number 8
It may be that the LORD has led me to make a list of words that are composed of 8 letters.
There may be 58 such words listed here. The spelling of a few of them is, admittedly, questionable.
A List of 8 Letter Words
Declared, Greatest, Michelle, Checking, Finished, Wischoff, Creation, Robinson, Almighty, Goodness, Strength, Stedfast, Glorious, Forgiven, Homepage, Heavenly, November, Thursday, Faithful, Marriage, Kindness, Merciful, Dreaming, Sleeping, Together, Loviness, Graceful, Generous, Greeting, Writings, Touching, Tasteful, Pleasure, Arousing, Erection, Evermore, Sensuous, Powerful, Peaceful, Truthful, Universe, Exciting, Mountain, Testicle, Cleavage, Stroking, Feminine, Yearning, Yielding, Complete, Totality, Exercise, Fondling, Arkansas, Everyday, Relation, Eternity, Increase.
“8 Letters” has 8 — if you count the number, too.
May True God Include the Exceptional
By His
Grace, Mercy, Faith and His Holy Spirit
In
Our Lord Jesus’ Name
Amen.
1333 words (above)
It must be spiritual, this love I feel, for people and places far away —
And some of them . . .
Not of this world
In the movie:
Love Story
The pretty young woman who is in love with the handsome young man at college . . .
Her last name is Barrette –
The same last name as Mr. Barrette who had a big garden across the street from Me mere Wilbur’s garden on Sweet Avenue in the 1950s and 1960s. And Dorothy Richer and I went to the Avon Cinema in Providence at Christmastime in 1970 to see the movie:
Love Story
And the theater was on or right next to Brown University.
And immediately after the lady in the ticket booth gave us our two tickets, she said to the next person(s) in line: “I’m sorry; I have no more tickets.”
Dorothy and I had to sit in the only two open seats in the Avon Cinema: first row center. I had never sat so close to the movie theater screen before.
(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story – Andy Williams (Starring Ali MacGraw, Ryan O’Neal. Music by F. Lai)
(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story – Andy Williams (Starring Ali MacGraw, Ryan O’Neal. Music by F. Lai)
I was mistaken, her last name isn’t Barrette — his last name is Barrette. I only realized this when I saw the movie clip, below.
Love Story (1/10) Movie CLIP – I Like Your Body (1970) HD
Love Story (1/10) Movie CLIP – I Like Your Body (1970) HD
How Do I Love Thee? (Sonnet 43) by Elizabeth Barrett Browning – Poems | Academy of American Poets
Mark's Imaginings 