BRAVE FACE

The inspiring WWII Memoir of a Dutch/German Child

We Won!

AUTHORS JOIN THE INTERNATIONAL FIREBIRD BOOK AWARD CIRCLE OF WINNERS   Oct 18, 2023 – Speak Up Talk Radio announced the recent FIREBIRD BOOK AWARDS contest winners.  One of the winning entries was from Virginia and Texas authors Caroline Crocker and Meta Evenbly,...

Sunday Memories

When I was young, Sundays were celebrated as a day of rest. Stores were closed. You didn’t play outside with your friends. That part was boring. So boring. One went to church in the morning. You wore your Sunday best clothing. You took more time to look your...

My Mother

Late in August in 1907, my mother was born in Bottrop in Westphalen. She was the youngest of five sisters that I know of.  There were Anna, Ciska, Paula, Agnes and my mom Auguste.  The name suited her well.   There were also at least five brothers that I know of.  I...

The End of Frits’ Life

On October 18, 2017 at 5:17 in the morning, Frits breathed his last. He died very peacefully in his sleep. We suspect he was in a coma that last couple of hours of his life. He left me very quietly, leaving everything behind. Our children, our home, his clothing, his...

I Fell Into His Grave!

Frederik Evenblij before he became ill. Frits slowly started to tell me about his life. He told me that his father had died of myasthenia gravis in 1942. He missed the loving letters that his dad regularly sent him while he was sick, always ending with the request to...
Five Star Review!

Five Star Review!

A few months ago, I requested a review from Reader’s Favorites. Since I didn’t pay anything, I didn’t expect a response, let alone a good one. But, here it is! Why am I excited? Because entering a book for awards requires a person to pay. The more...

Frits’ Adventures in De Woude

When Frits was a teenager, he took his bicycle to De Woude, a small island reachable only by ferry. He was to work that summer on the largest farm on the island. He slept high in the loft where the hay was stored. Part of his job was ferrying the steer down this...

A Poem I Wrote Many Years Ago

Het was op een Zaterdagavond in Maart, Op dansles leerde een jongen een meisje kennen, Zijn hart ontvlamde; zij was zijn liefde waard, Hij wilde haar dat echter niet bekennen. Maar een hart laat zich nu eenmaal niet dwingen, Amor won alweer terrein, Zijn hart bleef...

My Husband was Born in the Congo

My husband was born in Leopoldville, the Belgian Congo, later called Kinshasa, Zaire, from two Dutch parents. The world had gone through a world war, followed by a recession. Work was hard to find, but Frits’ father found work in the Belgian Congo as a supplier...

The Blue of the Sky

Near the Oranje Hotel prison in Scheveningen,  there was a lovely park. It was called Klein Zwitserland. The grass was green and soft. No fire ants, like where I live now. I used to walk there and lie down, looking up at the trees and imagining that I was lying on top...