Great Grandmother - Anne Marie (Høyset) Sevaldsen

Anne Marie Høyset 1871-1909

This lovely lady is my great grandmother, Anne Marie. This is the only close up photo I have of her. She was the mother of my maternal grandfather Paul. He was her firstborn. I never knew her, nor did my mother and I don't recall my grandfather ever speaking of her. She died young, as many women did back in the day, during the birth of her seventh child.  I do think that her life as a missionary wife was difficult. They moved often, their children born in all different areas of Norway and they most likely were poor. Was her hair red curly and unmanageable as mine? It appears so and I would wish it so. I would also like to think she was kind. Her eyes look kind don't they? My grandfather was a very kind and loving person. Perhaps it was she that passed that trait to him?

my great grandmother

Anne Marie Høyset Sevaldsen

b: 31 Mar 1871 Solum, Telemark, Norway

d: 14 Apr 1909  Hadsel, Nordland, Norway

Thanksgiving

In a past post I told the story of a Thanksgiving long ago. The story of the first Thanksgiving after my Mom died. "Uncle Arnold saves Thanksgiving" can be read HERE. As Thanksgiving arrives this Thursday I wanted to share why Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday.  It is a holiday that can be celebrated however you wish and you are never judged on it. 

I love Thanksgiving most of all for all the stress it doesn't impose. 

in no particular order...

NO FOOD STRESS

Of course it has to be Turkey. Our family feast is baked turkey, with mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, stuffing, green bean casserole and always always French Silk  and Apple pies from Bakers Square.  If someone feels like throwing in a special new dish...so be it, but there is never stress over the menu. No obligation to bake all sorts of goodies or look up new ideas for the meal. It is comforting to know exactly what is expected and exactly how to do it.

NO GIFT  STRESS

 I already have done the majority of my Christmas gift shopping. I hate the crowds, the begging on every street corner by charities, the worry about the "right" gift. The expense that maybe you don't need but HAVE to participate in.  At Thanksgiving just your presence at the table is enough. You are there because they want  you, only you.

NO ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY STRESS

Thanksgiving is just eat, eat lots and relax. Watching  a game on TV, fine, but mainly just loll around waiting for your stomach to recover before you dig into the French Silk and Apple pies. No obligatory and exhausting cookie exchanges, decorating the house, carolling, extra visiting, church services, work parties, neighbor parties, etc. etc. etc.

NO FAMILY STRESS

Celebrate with children or grandchildren or friends or in-laws, whoever you can get together with that particular year. It would be great to get everyone together but everyone understands that isn't always possible and there is no guilty demand to see and visit each and every close and remote relative and friend you ever had. We all know we care about each other. 

NO RELIGIOUS STRESS
Whether those around your table are Jew, Christian, Muslim, Agnostic. All are welcome and since no holy occasion is being celebrated no one is preaching, arguing or pointing fingers about the correct way to do the holiday. We are all just thankful we made it another year and here we are together!


Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, where we gather together, eat together, relax together, be thankful  for what we have together and that is more than enough for me.


Happy Thanksgiving!

Dad was a WWII Veteran and he never talked about it.

In a few days is Veteran's Day. We honor those men and women who answered the call of defending our country. My father Melvin, was a veteran. A World War II veteran and he never talked about it.

As a child I saw this picture of him in uniform, displayed proudly in my grandmother's home. I asked him if he had been in the war and he replied only that yes, he had been in World War II and he had been in the Army. Other than that, he never talked about it.

I know that he received Christmas cards and periodically long letters from men he had served with and even visited Army buddies on occasion. However he always went alone, never taking my mom or we kids with him. He never talked about it.

AP photo, now owned and a copy may be purchased from www.realwarphotos.com

In the late 80's I came across this AP photo in the National Enquirer. It was titled"Ghosts haunt Omaha Beach" with some typical bogus National Enquirer story of people seeing ghosts of the soldiers that died on D-Day invading Europe. The photo however distinctly showed my father in the foreground! I took the paper to him and his response was "hummm, looks like me, we came off a landing craft like that into the water, I had a helmet with a cross on it like that and carried the exact same supplies." The photo prompted him to also identify other men by name. He explained that he did indeed land on Omaha Beach but not on D-Day. He was part of the reinforcements. I questioned him more. It seems that he was more than willing to defend his country but didn't feel he could ever find it in himself to shoot someone for any reason. His helmet with the cross indicated that they made him a medic.  "You didn't believe you could shoot an enemy?" I asked him incredulously. "How long did that last?" He thought for awhile and with a small sad smile said, "Halfway up the beach". I remember questioning him further about the war, just general questions, and he rebuffed me with "you don't need to know about those sort of things." He never talked about it again.

After his death I found in his dresser quite a bit of WWII memorabilia. Photos of him and other soldiers in boot camp and somewhere in Europe, his discharge papers, draft notice and other memorabilia. Those photos were never displayed or in an album and that was the first time I had ever seen them.

He had never talked about it.

After the death of my grandmother I became interested in my family history. The movie "Saving Private Ryan" was out and I wondered again what part my Dad had in the war. I pulled out Dad's discharge papers and did some internet sleuthing. He was in the 3rd Armored division, Spearhead unit that along with others fought their way from the beaches of France, cold, hungry and often with inadequate supplies all the way to Berlin. His particular unit, the anti-tank company, 423rd infantry, had high casualties. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge where 19,000 American boys died in that battle alone. His unit had liberated a concentration camp. He never talked about it.

from the pamphlet (passed by censor for mailing home)
Spearheading with the 3rd Armored Division, in the Bulge, Duren-Cologne, The Ruhr Pocket, East to the Elbe

Dad was part of what we now call the "Greatest Generation:" Those men and women, out of duty and love of country went when called during WWII. They saw lots and did what they had to do. They saw no need to glory in it.  Although I am sure what they experienced, saw and were forced to do must have haunted them, they did what they had to do, for their country, for their family, for their children.  They bore the burden of those memories to protect us. "Those are things you don't need to know about." 

He never talked about it.

Thank you Dad,

November 11 and every day

Remember all of those men and women who served. 

They did what they had to do

...for our country...for our families...for our children.

HONOR OUR VETERANS

***click on above photos to enlarge for easier viewing***