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Summers in Fonz
The children looked forward excitedly to the summer holidays in Fonz in July and August. When the time came they packed suitcases and trunks with all the things they could possibly need.

Josemaria’s grandparents, Don José and Doña Constancia, were from Fonz. They were his father’s parents. Every summer their grandmother was waiting for them and came out to meet them and give them a big hug and a kiss when they arrived. “How wonderful to see you all! How was the trip? Did you children behave well? Come on in, I’ve some cold drinks waiting!”

Grandmother Constancia was very devout, and used to say the Rosary during the day. Josemaria learned a little prayer that she used to say between one Rosary and the next. “It’s mid-day now and Jesus hasn’t arrived. Who’s the lucky person who holds him by their side?”
She taught Josemaria that when he received Holy Communion, he was the lucky person who held Jesus in his heart.

Our Lady of the Dormition
In the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Fonz there was a statue of the Dormition of our Lady. The feast of the Assumption came in the middle of the summer holidays, on August 15th. It was a big feast-day, and all the families in Fonz went to church and took the children.

For Josemaria’s little sister Chon it was an extra special day: it was her birthday and her name-day, because Chon was short for Maria de la Asunción - Mary of the Assumption! She put on her very best party-dress. The children and their Guardian Angels set off for Mass together, happy to be celebrating our Lady’s feast-day. As soon as they were inside the church, the Little Watch-mender (St Josemaria’s Guardian Angel) bowed deeply in adoration before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and then greeted all the thousands of Angels who were keeping watch before Him in the Tabernacle.

All the angels in the church looked at Josemaria. The Little Watch-mender smiled importantly; he knew that Jesus and our Lady had a special love for Josemaria.

During the Mass the statue of the Dormition of our Lady was unveiled and surrounded with fresh flowers. It was left unveiled just for eight or ten days after the feast of the Assumption; all the rest of the year it was covered with a veil.

This made a deep impression on the children, and a tender devotion to the Dormition of our Lady took root in their hearts.

Carmen and Josemaria took Chon by the hand and went reverently forward to look at the statue of our Lady asleep. Her face was delicately flushed, with an expression of serenity and peace. They stood looking at her for a little time, and then went up and gently kissed her cheek.

Straight from the egg into the water
Carmen, who was now thirteen, had learned to sew and crochet, and she loved being with her mother, as she learned so many things from her. Including how to economize…
“Out of the threads you throw away, the devil makes a rope,” Doña Dolores used to tell her.

Josemaria and Chon were inseparable that summer. They read books together, or went running off through the fields to play until evening. They collected insects, butterflies or pebbles, and it seemed that every day they discovered something new.
“Chon, where are you?”
“Sshhh! Josemaria, come here! Look!”

Chon was bending over at the edge of a stream, her finger on her lips. A brood of ducklings had just come out of their eggs and were cheeping around their mother. And to their astonishment the mother-duck went straight to the stream and slipped into the water.

“The duck’s gone into the water – and the ducklings have gone after her!”
“Look at that little one! He’s gone straight from the egg into the water!”
In the evenings they would tell their mother about all the things they had seen.
“There were some shepherds, and they had a donkey with them, loaded with things up to its ears. And one of the shepherds was carrying a new-born lamb on his shoulders, and he let Chon stroke it.”
“Some newly-hatched ducklings jumped straight into the water without learning to swim.”
“And the bread was just coming out of the oven, Mom!” interrupted Chon. “And we got a little bird made of bread!”

Paulina Mönckeberg, Vida y venturas de un borrico de noria©, 2004
Ediciones Palabra, S.A., 2004

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