Emma and Franz had been busy preparing for spring. It had been a harsh winter with snow storms, gusts of wind creating snowdrifts around the house. The sunny days started to tame the winter, Emma and Franz felt that the turmoil in their life also had subsided, there was happiness and contentment in air, happiness that developed in trust and tenderness. From the long and beautiful icicles, which almost reached the window sill, crystal clear drops fell on the…..
Emma and Franz were sitting in silence embracing the moment. They both needed love, kindness and acceptance, but also someone to love, to share good and trying times. They both have been scarred from their suffering and grief, the nature of their traumatic experience were not nearly the same, the nature of the source was different. Pain cannot be measured, a profound emotional happening would penetrate and rip the strongest person apart. Where does one get the strength to persevere…..
Emma’s life had always been challenging. In retrospect, she had always to take care of herself, as far as she remembers. Emma had become an orphan when she was six years old, her mother had become very ill and died, her father never came back home from his fishing trip, all she had left was her sister, Olga. Olga was a fine, loving sister and took good care of Emma, the work on the farm was overwhelming. Olga decided to go…..
Franz Lang had been walking for days, he was searching for happiness, for a chance to follow his dream. He had left behind the acrimonious existence and looked forward to making a life for himself filled with happiness and adversity. Franz followed his intuition and headed north. The weather would change abruptly. For hours it rained and would soak his cloths, then sun would beat down on him, drying them, he was hungry, but never lost his stoicism, he would…..
Just the other day Lara had found a notebook in the attic, it was on the bottom of an old suitcase, it had yellowed and a little crumpled. On one of the sheets she saw the name Franz Lang written, Lara tried to paste it together, maybe it would make sense who that man was and why she should have brought it with her, she became curious and wanted to find out he is was and why would she actually had it.Who is Franz Lang? Maybe she will finally…..
My memory of the agonizing drumbeat during the journey of my plight in WW ll never seem to fade. I tried to write them down,but had to stop, they became too emotional, yet I felt that the story had to be heard, had to make people realize and remind of the Nazi odious tyranny that swept across my country, Latvia, and rest of Europe, how it disparaged all people on their “March of Death.” The WW ll has ended decades…..
The sun was shining in the blue sky, few clouds were sailing eastward, a few seagulls were flying toward the bay. I felt happy. The war was over, I lived in a nice place, arranged by the Danish Red Cross, cared by two loving people. I had a room all by myself, a book-case for my books; I will draw a metaphor for describing my bed, the blanket was like a white cloud, the pillow like a big snowball, I…..
It was Christmas day. The barrack was small and cold, Lara’s father was taken away by some soldiers to an enormous barn of some sort; working hours were long, many nights he wouldn’t be allowed to come back to the barrack, Lara’s mother was at the military hospital, fighting for her life, she had developed severe pneumonia after the harrowing journey at sea. Many days and nights Lara spent sitting at the window, staring into the vast mountains of snow…..
How and from where we get our courage? Many times, during my life, I have felt that nature has been my inspiration to go on. As a young child during WW II, the decision making had been left on the availability of the resources that were left. Decades after my plight to freedom, I am still wondering how a garden snail, my “Helix Aspersa”, became my inspiration to share my story. It had come out of its shell and encouraged me…..
I can still see my childhood home in my dreams; many years have passed since it was destroyed by the fury of the invading forces during the WW II, with all the strength and the love for my country, I am still working so hard to put the dire days with all the memories of the sorrowful sights of the destruction behind, yet I still have nightmares of my country being devoured by flames, my home turned into a…..