LifeStory | Marge

Marge Tarr Smith | “What’s your most treasured possession?”

"Saint Jude and that crucifix. Yeah, the one that has the Christ hanging on the crucifix. Those two. My house burned to the ground and Saint Jude was hanging on the wall. And where he was hanging, the fire stopped.

Wait, this Saint Jude? When did your house burn to the ground?

I lived on Lewis Drive at the intersection of Chesterland and Lewis. You know where they came to a point, right up from St. Ed’s. We were vacationing in Florida over Christmas, and my son was home, and the furnace was faulty, and it started a fire in between the walls and the dog woke my son up, and he got out and, the house burned to the ground. And when we came home, it was in the basement. And the neighbors were kind enough to take whatever wood pieces I have here. They carried it

out of the house while it was burning, but my prized possessions, possession: Saint Jude.

Where was Saint Jude in the house?

Hanging on the wall in the dining room where the fire stopped.

That Saint Jude, that one.

If you get up close to it, you'll see that it has no forehead really.

Is this mounted to the wall, or can I take it off?

You can take it off. It’s just hanging there on a hook.

Here, Saint Jude, I’ll trade you. I mean, that's too amazing of a story to not, you know.

He's got I left it like that.

Saint Jude survives.

I don't remember how I got it but, I heard that he was the patron saint of the impossible.

I think that's right.

And I had four boys, and I prayed for a girl. And then I asked Saint Jude to intercede. And I had a girl, so I named her Laura Judith, after Saint Jude. And at that time, you didn't. You couldn't tell whether it was boy or girl before it arrived. So they told me that the nurses were telling everybody, go down and see the lady that is so happy. She had a baby girl. I didn't love the boys less. They're wonderful. But of course I was happy. After four boys."

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