I appreciate how kind and understanding your parents were with their understanding. It must have been hard (particularly at that time) to risk the community of your church believing you are supporting the decisions of someone who had made a choice against church doctrine instead of understanding that bad decisions are made and sometimes must be lived with.

It sounds like Marie-Josèphe and Ginette became to some extent like extended family particularly as your mother still corresponds with them.

Large families have much in common even oceans away! I can remember the water-saving bath rotation too and the crowd in our living room as we all made room for everyone to have the evening prayer! I haven't thought of those in a long time!