"Pennies From Heaven" or . . .

Visiting Blogger John Harutunian writes . . . My late mom, Karmille [Der Sahakian] Harutunian was a young pupil of about ten years old in Soviet Armenia around 1924. One day in class, the teacher, intent on brainwashing her pupils, suggested, “Why don’t we all bow our heads, close our eyes, and ask God for candy?” They did--and of course nothing happened. The teacher then suggested, “Why don’t we try bowing our head, closing our eyes, and asking Lenin for candy?” Unfortunately for the teacher, my mom was not only a bright little girl, but her father, Rev. Mardiros Der Sahakian, was a Congregational Protestant Minister. So little Karmille must have sensed that something was up. She sneaked a peek up to the top of the classroom. And up there she glimpsed a man -- raining candy down upon the children! Author's note: My mom was from Hayastan, indeed from Yerevan. My parents met in the USA; my father, who I think was living in Watertown at the time, started attending Rev. Der Sahakian’s church services in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Of course it’s possible that he might have noticed Karmille at some social gathering (perhaps at Tremont Temple in Boston) before that--so his interest wasn’t only in my grandfather’s church!