By Sr. Noeleen Mooney, MMM                                                      Ireland                      22.11.2025

The coming of November brings back a very special memory for me. Having been an only child for over eight years, I had not given any thought to a change in that status. I had noticed that my Mam was wearing loose, smock-type dresses, but no comment was made.
I was in the third class and used to bring a flask of warm milk for lunch. One day the flask got broken. It seemed a big issue to me, and I knew I had to tell Mam about it.

When I got home, she wasn’t there! Most unusual, and no comment about where she might be. Instead, our next-door neighbour gave me my dinner and then – most unusual for a dark November evening – sent me out to clean her car with her daughter who was older, and would have known what was going on.

Some time later I was called in, and brought upstairs to meet my Mam and my new baby brother – safely delivered, and wrapped in a soft pink blanket. It was amazing!

My Dad was due home from work about an hour later and I was so sure that since I did not know about the baby’s expected arrival, then he could not have known either! Cold or dark, it did not matter. I had to swing on the gate to await his arrival! You can imagine the scene,
Next day, the teacher asked about the broken flask. Of course, I had not given it another thought! “It’s O.K! I have a new baby brother.”

Now, 67 years later, I can still remember the joy of that special day.