BRAVE FACE

The inspiring WWII Memoir of a Dutch/German Child

My Mother-in-Law!

My husband’s mother August 23 was the birthday of my mother-in-law, Marie Johanna, called Rita. To me she was ‘mother’. I met her when I was 17 and she was 43 years old. She lived to be 82 and as her whole generation, she had to cope with two world...

Meta, the College Graduate

Twenty years ago this month my mother was awarded her bachelor’s degree. She was 65-years-old. And, as you will find out if you pre-order and, eventually, read the story of her childhood, Brave Face, persistent and determined.  Mom was married at 22 and,...

My German Mother

On August 21 in 1907, my mother, Auguste Weidmann, was born in Bottrop in Westphalen. She was the youngest of five sisters: 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 have known only...

Enjoying the Benefits of the Pandemic

Let’s face it. Pandemics are scary, inconvenient, boring, dangerous, annoying, expensive, and just plain awful. In comparison to most people, I’m coming out relatively unscathed—so far. My brother and his large family all had COVID, but all have recovered. My son has...
Steep Learning Curve

Steep Learning Curve

Have you noticed that things have become quiet on this Blog? It’s not because we aren’t working on the book. It’s because we are. Writing a book with the goal of attracting a professional publisher is not the same as writing a letter or a scientific paper, neither of...

Liberation Day

In 2017, I wrote this: May 5, 1945. I was 10 years old.  Liberation day!  Finally it had come and not a day too soon.  We really could not believe it finally happened.  But then our Canadian liberators drove through our streets.  Tank after tank after tank.  Everybody...

COVID-19, Clorox Wipes, and the Hunger Winter

During the Hunger Winter at the end of WWII, Dutch families in the Hague and nearby experienced extreme hunger and all that goes with that: dysentery, tuberculosis, and starvation sickness. Many people died. The streets were empty; cleaning supplies were unavailable;...

Time: Is That What Connects Us?

Many years ago, someone phoned me to ask about my leg. They lived 3000 miles from me. How did they know that I had trouble with my leg?  When I was a teenager, suddenly, without apparent reason, I felt very physically ill, unable to say what was the matter. I felt as...