Twice Loved

A woman stood in front of me after one of the Miami Library’s local history sessions had ended and asked when did I work at Will Rogers Junior High and if I had once taken children to a food bank before Christmas one year? She had misremembered and thought I was the Indian Art teacher, but that was Donna Huggins, though I did sponsor the Indian Club and she had been an active member.

When she stated her name and I repeated it back to her, as I did, I remembered the her as she was all those years ago, and suddenly other names of her classmates who would have been with us on that venture came rushing by.

It was one of the first years I was an Indian Counselor in Miami. Jerald Browning was my counterpart at Miami High School. It was he who knew a woman who lived in Tiff City whose project Box 14-A would be the subject of this shared memory. The name of the project simply was the woman’s own Post Office Box number.

The woman had been an actress in Hollywood in her previous life, as they say, but she had been for real. RoMere was a Pottawatomi who married a Seneca-Cayuga and came to live in the tiny borough of Tiff City, saw great needs and began doing social activism, which was called charity back in the day to benefit area Native American families in need.

Her program would provide toys and packages of food during the Christmas season, bringing hope and joy during that time to families. I am not sure how Mr. Browning came to know RoMere, but through him, we all came to know her and be part of the joy that year.

The Indian Club I sponsored was not exclusive, but open to not only tribal youth, but those who by association might be the allies these kids would need throughout their lives. Hearing of Box 14-A, I wanted to give our local tribal children an opportunity to experience altruism, and learn the act of gifting was the gift you yourself.  I introduced the idea by explaining what RoMere Martin did for her community each Christmas.

And then I asked if any of them would like to help her. Many wanted to help. And then I added one more ask. Would they like to bring a toy to donate for her to gift some other little Indian child? And then I stepped it up one more notch. I asked if they would like to bring one of their own loved toys, because a loved toy could be loved more deeply than one they might buy at the store right before we got on the bus.

Many toys came with us. We put on our warm coats, before entering the building RoMere staged her Box 14-A efforts and we worked with her, putting cans of food on the shelves and in a quiet way, each said goodbye to their own toys before they joined the gifts that would bring joy that Christmas to children they would never meet.

We were only able to have this experience that one time. RoMere died that following March. And Annette had been there and together we re-experienced all of that because she remembered a moment early in her life, she had carried with her.

How do we change the world? We do it when we help others learn how.

Respectfully Submitted ~ Rebecca Jim