Picture it! I'm dragging my sister up and down stairs, in and out of booths and displays at my local antique store when out of the corner of my eye I spot a framed marriage license. It was a beautiful piece but was just too large for my taste in vintage ephemera. As I stoop to put it back in its place I spot a plastic baggie with what appears to be letters inside. As I carefully open the baggie and retrieve one of the many envelopes my jaw drops! This letter-this entire bag of letters- are all dated 1945! I am just awe struck by the history I am holding in my hands. I can't wait to get home and start to read these little treasures all addressed to Mrs. Betty Ann O'Connell. Later that night I begin to pour over each and every envelope and it's contents. The story that unfolds is that of Mr. & Mrs. O'connell. He is off to war leaving Betty home with their young child. These mounds of letters written to Betty are all from other war brides all over the country! Betty has apparently knit a tight bond with this group of women and they share their laughter and tears, joys and sorrows all in this stack of letters. One in particular tells of meeting a Jew who has just been released from a concentration camp! As I read I wonder how these precious gems ended up in an antique store and what has happened to all of these women whose words will now be with me forever.
What a find! How wonderful to have such a glimpse into these ladies' lives... I often wonder what the stories are behind people's pictures, what a gift to find those stories.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh ... what an amazing find, how very lucky these women are that you found their letters, I'm sure you'll create lovely art with them.
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