Butte La Rose - Et Les Entourage

Bonjour.

Un gros “bien merci” to all of ma famille et amis from St. Rita’s Catholic Church in Catahoula for the beautiful card and ring they presented to me during the children’s Christmas play at the Christmas Eve Mass. Surprised I was. I didn’t expect but am so happy for it. Singing in church when I can on Sunday mornings is sharing with them the gift that God loaned to me.

They wanted to do this and from what I’m told, they began this venture a month ago going house to house and asking for a $1 or $2 donation. When I have it sized to fit my ring finger, I will be engaged to everyone in Catahoula!

The card by Emily Matthews reads: “Thanking God for You. God makes the most wonderful people, then lovingly shows them the way to share all their gifts and their caring to brighten the world day by day. They make such a difference to others with a visit, a card, or a call — God chooses these wonderful people to be the best blessings of all. God has given you such a generous heart for caring about others and for spreading happiness. Thank you so much for being one of His wonderful people. Thank you for sharing your beautiful voice with us! (Signed) The People of Catahoula.”

I have always asked of my kids that instead of buying me gifts, find a card that expresses their love for me and that will be worth more to me then a ton of gifts. But I love my ring et mon lam vousaut gros com les cochon lam la boue!

When I’d pick up a load of catalyst in Attapulgus, Ga., day or night, I liked running shortcuts and back roads through the woods to catch I-10. The road was a little curvy and it was a challenge to run through there. I’d see endless fields of planted tomatoes. There’d be big stacks of tomato poles. If I went by there every two weeks or so, there was always some thing different happening. Like passing through and seeing all the tomatoes poles in the ground. And maybe the next time there were more tomatoes being planted. Then there came a time when the pickers were picking and then another time, blah, the tomatoes were all gone and the ground had been plowed under. But it did not end there because then there was the replanting. Mais ca c’est tes something.

On that route there was an old small white wooden church that sat about 200 feet directly across the road from where I’d come up to a stop sign. At the sign, my headlights would beam on the front porch of that cute little church. I’d never seen anyone there before ’til one night about two in the morning when I came up the slight curve in the road and my lights shined on the porch and there she was, Naomi Judd from the famous mother-daughter duo. She was dressed in her flare dress like she always wears. I was all happy and exited to see her that I wanted to just stay at a stop and keep my headlights on those people on the porch. They were looking towards my rig maybe because I was blinding them.

When I came back to Attapulgus a few weeks later, I told the refinery people who I had seen and they told me they were not surprised. Oftentimes, they said, country music stars passing through stop by the churches in the night to pray with sick people.

Bonne nuvelle anneé. Je vous embrasse.

Cousine Hélène

Contact Helen Boudreaux, the Teche News’ Butte La Rose area correspondent, at helenboudreaux@juno.com.