Continuing the journey of my parents, and my journey in reading the suitcase of letters that dad wrote to mom during WWII.
Chapter Two:
When WWII broke out, my dad enlisted because he would have been drafted in weeks anyway. (that are his exact words). He graduated from Northwestern college in Alva, OK and joined the army 3 weeks after that. He was stationed in Louisiana. During that time, the government urged people to write to their servicemen, particularly the young ladies!
My grandma F in PA remembered that grandma N in OK had a son about mom's age and asked her if he was in the service. She replied that yes he was, so the two moms got their heads together and decided that my mom should write to dad in the service. Remember - my mom and dad hadn't seen each other since they were five - probably knew about each other, but had no contact whatsoever.
So mom (which shocks me to this day because she was about as shy as they come) wrote to dad out of the clear blue sky! That's where I start my journey. I started by reading the 7 or so letters that dad wrote to her before they even met. Unfortunately dad couldn't keep her letters because they base moved so much. I can reconstruct a lot of what she wrote because my dad was very good about answering her questions.
Dad was completed shocked to hear from mom! Just out of the blue. Eventually, I think mom told him that their moms set it all up for them to write - matchmakers back in the 1940's! So my parents began getting to know each other, their politics, their religion, their beliefs, each other's families. They wrote for six months before they finally got to actually meet in person. It was in PA before daddy was shipped overseas. He was going to be stationed in Ireland during the war.
I haven't gotten to those letters yet, as I have to read them a few at a time. They make me emotional because I am seeing a side of my parents I never realized existed. We knew mom had all these letters in a suitcase as we were growing up, but she refused to let us read them. I feel privileged to read them now. There are a few that dad managed to keep that she wrote, and each is 8 or 9 pages, singled spaced, typed. They wrote every single day! It is totally mind boggling.
I've read some of them to my husband, and he is loving the letters. So tune in for chatper 3 if you so inclined. I will continue my journey as I read more letters.
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Beginning the Journey
After almost 9 years, I finally got the courage to start reading letters that my dad wrote to my mom while they were courting. I've had them for nearly 9 years, in a suitcase, but just couldn't bring myself to start that journey of reading.
I began with reading the letters they wrote before they ever met. Hmmm - it kind of reminds me of "Sleepless in Seattle". Background information is a must - and it is the stuff that movies are made of.
My paternal grandma - Gr. N - lived in the pandhandle of Oklahoma. Hot wind, tumbleweeds, little rain, rolling pastures, constant dust, jack rabbits and sunflowers. Not a land that is easy to make a living in!
When my grandma N was 7 months pregnant with my dad, my grandpa was kicked in the stomach by a horse. He was hauling water in to their homestead for drinking, laundry and baths. In a week, when the family and friends realized that he wasn't getting any better, they took him to a nearby city, where he died. His spleen had ruptured and had become gangrenous.
My 4'11" grandma, survived his death, gave birth to my dad 2 months later and proceeded to live as a widow with three children - ages 3, 2 and newborn. I do NOT know how she did it. And my dad never got to meet his dad.
For ten years, she managed the farm, cooked, cleaned, sewed, made quilts, went to church, grew a garden, raised chickens for eating and eggs - all by herself. And we modern wives freak out when our washer or dishwasher goes on the blink! They lived in a tiny dugout.
Now flash to Pennsylvania - land of absolute gorgeous mountains, hills, green everywhere, trees and a more decent climate. My grandpa and grandma F lived there. Gr. F couldn't find work there so for whatever reason (I mean - PENN to OK - whoa!) they moved to the pandhandle of OK. They settled a mile or so from my other grandma who was still a widow.
Now we have the two families living close to each other. I think the oldest of mom's sisters was already born, so they had 3 in their family. My widow grandma had a family of 4. Two girls, a boy (my dad) and her.
Told you this was things movies are made of! My grandma N was a midwife to all of the surrounding OK towns that she could get to with a horse and buggy. When someone needed birthing help, grandma N came. NOW my grandma F was pregnant with my mom. Enter my OTHER grandma who became the midwife and brought my mom into this world.
So my two grandmas became very very close friends. They got to live close to each other for a little over five years. The grandparents from PA had another girl, giving them a family of 5. My OK grandma was still a widow with her three kids.
Confused yet -???? :) :)
When my mom was five, grandpa F decided he'd had enough of the lonliness, wind, heat, dirt and tumbleweeds of OK and moved back to Pennsylvania. From that day on, my two grandmothers wrote each other long newsy letters that they kept up until they became too old to write. I believe it would have been around 50 years of correspondence - give or take. Their letters always began, My dear friend.
Flash forward 25 years later to WWII.
That will be the next chapter of the background for my journey. As the cop from Dragnet said, "Just the facts, mam, just the facts!" Tune in for chapter two if you are intrigued or just bored or want more facts! :)
I began with reading the letters they wrote before they ever met. Hmmm - it kind of reminds me of "Sleepless in Seattle". Background information is a must - and it is the stuff that movies are made of.
My paternal grandma - Gr. N - lived in the pandhandle of Oklahoma. Hot wind, tumbleweeds, little rain, rolling pastures, constant dust, jack rabbits and sunflowers. Not a land that is easy to make a living in!
When my grandma N was 7 months pregnant with my dad, my grandpa was kicked in the stomach by a horse. He was hauling water in to their homestead for drinking, laundry and baths. In a week, when the family and friends realized that he wasn't getting any better, they took him to a nearby city, where he died. His spleen had ruptured and had become gangrenous.
My 4'11" grandma, survived his death, gave birth to my dad 2 months later and proceeded to live as a widow with three children - ages 3, 2 and newborn. I do NOT know how she did it. And my dad never got to meet his dad.
For ten years, she managed the farm, cooked, cleaned, sewed, made quilts, went to church, grew a garden, raised chickens for eating and eggs - all by herself. And we modern wives freak out when our washer or dishwasher goes on the blink! They lived in a tiny dugout.
Now flash to Pennsylvania - land of absolute gorgeous mountains, hills, green everywhere, trees and a more decent climate. My grandpa and grandma F lived there. Gr. F couldn't find work there so for whatever reason (I mean - PENN to OK - whoa!) they moved to the pandhandle of OK. They settled a mile or so from my other grandma who was still a widow.
Now we have the two families living close to each other. I think the oldest of mom's sisters was already born, so they had 3 in their family. My widow grandma had a family of 4. Two girls, a boy (my dad) and her.
Told you this was things movies are made of! My grandma N was a midwife to all of the surrounding OK towns that she could get to with a horse and buggy. When someone needed birthing help, grandma N came. NOW my grandma F was pregnant with my mom. Enter my OTHER grandma who became the midwife and brought my mom into this world.
So my two grandmas became very very close friends. They got to live close to each other for a little over five years. The grandparents from PA had another girl, giving them a family of 5. My OK grandma was still a widow with her three kids.
Confused yet -???? :) :)
When my mom was five, grandpa F decided he'd had enough of the lonliness, wind, heat, dirt and tumbleweeds of OK and moved back to Pennsylvania. From that day on, my two grandmothers wrote each other long newsy letters that they kept up until they became too old to write. I believe it would have been around 50 years of correspondence - give or take. Their letters always began, My dear friend.
Flash forward 25 years later to WWII.
That will be the next chapter of the background for my journey. As the cop from Dragnet said, "Just the facts, mam, just the facts!" Tune in for chapter two if you are intrigued or just bored or want more facts! :)
Coming back from the "dark side."
Well, it has been a LONG time since I blogged. When I first started my blog, my first reader and follower was a male cousin, whom I had only met in person two or three times in my life. We got reacquainted through FB and Email. He read my blogs, commented on them and encouraged me to keep writing and to publish my blog address so others could read.
Although I wasn't there during most of his 10 year journey with cancer, I was there long distance through the last few years. I learned so much about his perserverence, his integrity, and rising above the junk that comes with cancer. I got to meet his wife and children through the magic of FB. I believe that Tom was an inspiration to many of us cousins as we particpated long distance in his journey with the big "C". When he passed away, it hit me way harder than I ever dreamed. The writing just stopped in its tracks. It was an obstacle that I couldn't get around until now.
Finally, I am at a place that I feel free to write again. So to Tom - I'm glad you are peace and have no pain. Thanks for your part in encouraging me to write and blog! I begin the next part of my journey.
Although I wasn't there during most of his 10 year journey with cancer, I was there long distance through the last few years. I learned so much about his perserverence, his integrity, and rising above the junk that comes with cancer. I got to meet his wife and children through the magic of FB. I believe that Tom was an inspiration to many of us cousins as we particpated long distance in his journey with the big "C". When he passed away, it hit me way harder than I ever dreamed. The writing just stopped in its tracks. It was an obstacle that I couldn't get around until now.
Finally, I am at a place that I feel free to write again. So to Tom - I'm glad you are peace and have no pain. Thanks for your part in encouraging me to write and blog! I begin the next part of my journey.
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