In my youth, I was impressed by the TV series “Le temps d’une paix”, which recounted the life in rural Quebec between the First and Second World Wars. It notably permitted the viewer to discover the climate of faith which then prevailed in society.
A few years ago, I was going to a convention in the Charlevoix region, where the story of this TV series was taking place. After the deliberations, I took advantage of a day off to go to Notre-Dame-des-Monts, to visit Rosanna’s house, where a great part of the story took place.
How disappointed was I to realize that the places I saw on the small screen were now abandoned! All this was now part of memories that I could occasionally share with other fans of this TV series at the turn of an impromptu conversation… until Easter Sunday this year, during which I literally devoured the memoirs of Mr. Léandre Lachance, entitled “A Legacy of Happiness”.
For me, the word happiness is perfectly appropriate, so much so that it was pleasant for me to plunge into the heart of the touching and endearing testimony of an individual who could very well have figured among the main characters of “Le temps d’une paix”. I imagined little Léandre going about the farm, dreaming about his future and helping his neighbor. Between the lines, I also saw the mark of the Lord guiding his steps towards a growing love. Love towards God, towards his family, towards his work and towards others.
Fascinated by history and having completed a master’s degree in this field, I have been given the opportunity to read the memoirs of several great figures of history. They often allow those who use this literary genre to justify themselves, to settle scores, to take pride in themselves. As a rule, it is therefore advisable to develop a vigilant critical mind when reading them.
Léandre Lachance’s book does not fit in with this perspective. Throughout the pages, I was amazed by the author’s actions at several crucial moments in his life. Like, for example, when he refuses to take advantage of an exceptional business opportunity because he does not want to override the prerogative that he feels his brother must be granted. How many people would be willing to do so in our world marked by egocentrism, jealousy, envy and greed?
Let us also think of the period during which Léandre helped his brother and sister-in-law go through a very difficult phase without having to go through the courts. That’s something. While several people would have gone up to the barricades to support one of the two spouses and would have thrown oil on the fire of discord, he made a gesture that avoided them much pain, problems and, ultimately, regrets.
But where I fell down my chair, it is when he evokes the beginning of his relationship with his wife, his sweet and smiling Élisabeth. While he was frequenting her, her previous boyfriend came back in the picture. Léandre then made a gesture as shocking as it was revealing of his personality. Let him describe what he did: “I wanted to be a good gentleman; I regretfully told Élisabeth that I would retire and we left each other. To remove oneself for love and in a spirit of love, such is one of the striking features of this exceptional man.
But Léandre Lachance didn’t just do it for those around him. He also did it for and with Jesus – which is much more radical and I would even dare to say difficult sometimes. In this regard, I was deeply impressed by something he once said to me: “The closer we get to the Lord, the more we are touched by His graces.”
As I meditated on these words, I thought of Lord Mountbatten – a great figure in contemporary British history who is also one of my favorite heroes of World War II. He said his mother advised him not to worry about what people thought of him in the short term, but rather to worry about acting in a way so that his children and grandchildren would think he had done well. Léandre Lachance extended this process, in the company of the Lord.
Do not hesitate to immerse yourself in this simple, lively and inspiring story. Léandre Lachance made me laugh, cry, reflect and pray. You will also discover an important page of Quebec’s contemporary history and find that even if the omnipresence of the religious fact observable in “Le temps d’une paix” now belongs to history in our society, the vibrant manifestation of love and the graces of the Lord in our world remains intact.
“A Legacy of Happiness” not only allows us to measure the impact of this choice, but also to draw on the wisdom of the journey of a man who chose the compass of love to guide his life and who answered “Yes” to Jesus’ invitation.
A delectable reading time. A time of happiness.

Click here to read the biography of Léandre Lachance