25 Dec A Nova Scotia Christmas story you probably don’t know

Coral Rafuse works at the Children’s Centre, a day care centre on Commercial Street in New Minas, NS.

Until this fall, she had never set foot in the Flower Cart, a vocational service centre for men and women with intellectual disabilities located just across the street.

But few weeks ago, Rafuse popped in to pay a bill on behalf of a co-worker. As she waited to be served, her gaze fell on a gallery of staff photos, one of which jolted her to attention. The image bore a startling resemblance to Rafuse’s recently widowed mother, a resident of nearby Greenwood.

It had never been a secret in Coral’s family that an older sister had been given up to provincial care almost half a century ago. The child was born with significant physical and intellectual disabilities. When she was two, physicians and social workers persuaded her mother, the former Gwendolyn Hubley, now Gwendolyn Boone, to make her a ward of the province. There was talk of adoption by a sympathetic nurse from the Truro area. The family never saw her again.

Rafuse moved in for a closer look. The photo bore the name Machelle Hubley, who had been a part-time Flower Cart worker for 25 years. Carole knew her long absent sister’s name was Machelle—not Michelle but Machelle. Together with the striking family resemblance and the matching surname, the quirky spelling of her first name was too much to write off as mere coincidence.

Flower Cart staff told Rafuse Hubley, 51, was a “core member” (resident) of Wolfville’s L’Arche Homefires, one of four L’Arche communities in Nova Scotia that provide residential care in a family-like setting for men and women with disabilities.

Hubley conferred with another sister, Candace Bird. Both were eager to meet Machelle, but they didn’t want to cause trouble for her or her new family.

Turns out there was no new family. Machelle Hubley had never been adopted. She had bounced from foster home to foster home before landing at the Children’s Training Centre in Truro. In 1985, she became the first female core member of L’Arche Homefires, then in its fourth year. One of her former foster families stayed in touch with Machelle, and occasionally visited, but they passed away years ago.

Since then, Christmases have been melancholy affairs for Hubley. While most of Home Fires’ other residents would spend the holiday with relatives, she was one of the few left behind to pass the day with staff.

Rafuse spoke with Home Fires Community Leader Ingrid Blais, who arranged for the three sisters to meet for the first time. Wendy Elliott of the Kings County Advertiser picks up the story from there:

“I was nervous, excited and happy,” Hubley remembers.

Rafuse chuckles, saying she focused on her hair and makeup as if she was on a first date. The three women clicked right away.

“It was so beautiful,” Blais recalled. “They went to Tim Hortons to celebrate and phoned their mother. Machelle simply said, ‘Hi, Mom’.”

(L to R) L’Arche Homefires director Ingrid Blais and sisters Candace Bird, Machelle Hubley, and Coral Rafuse. (Photo: Wendy Elliott.)

There followed a visit to Greenwood to meet her mother and 90-year-old grandmother.

“Machelle is so happy, joyful and loving,” said Rafuse, who is impressed with the values instilled through L’Arche.

Now, with Christmas fast approaching, Hubley suddenly has a wide family circle. She has connected with two more sisters, two brothers-in-law and six nephews and nieces. She has shared dinners and hockey games and ballet performances.

“This Christmas is going to be quite different for her,” said Blais.

“It’s a great, great story about gifts you can’t buy in the store.”

L to R, Gwen Dexter, Machelle Hubley, and Gwendolyn Boone. Boone is Hubley’s mother, Dexter her grandmother. They recently met for the first time in 49 years.

Merry Christmas, Contrarian readers. May you all enjoy gifts that can’t be bought in stores.