Ben Wetta---inspiration

Why Don’t You Write?

      Sounds like the beginning of a letter from a neglected friend or lover to most people, but it was the question of the day of a writers’ blog that I enjoy. . . My first answer is that I get too busy, but then I realize that I allow myself to be so busy because I don’t take myself seriously as a writer, even after receiving a small check and seeing my words published in a book and magazine. 

      At the same time, the spirits of Uncle Ben and my parents have been nudging me to finish the work I have started. Writing over 250 pages and then letting it hide in my computer is really pretty stupid and a huge waste of time. 

     Ben has really been nagging me recently. He tells me that I need to revise the section that I wrote about his life on the ground in Italy.

             As written in the book now, he is telling about this in a letter to my dad.  I really thought that this was working until Uncle Ben told me it is lackluster--- that I need to make it rousing with pilots betting and drinking over a game of poker and Ben being cussed out for poor hygiene due to a difficult shower situation Have I piqued your interest? Well, just writing about that again, I realize that Uncle Ben (or my muse) is right! Back to revising!!! (Is everyone positive that I am totally insane---thinking that Ben is inspiring me?) Will write more about Ben later this week.

Beautiful Gifts My Excuse for Blogging Absence

We have been graced with two beautiful new grandchildren in the past six months. Both are the third child in the family, so they arrived to much love.  Since helping family and friends is fundamental in my life, lending a hand with these angels has taken precedence over writing. Because Mom still relished caressing “those precious little hands” of babies when she died two years ago, I know she would understand my postponing her story for helping with babies.

Josie Radell was born Sept. 27^th. She is a little round doll who loves to laugh and play.       Because our daughter Emily and her husband live in Hutchinson near us, I am blessed to take care of her most Thursdays.  Needless to say I accomplish very little other than playing on those days. It is amazing how much these precious creatures develop each week.

Beckett Thomas was born March 15^th to Sara and Zach who live in Kirkwood, a suburb of St. Louis. He arrived three weeks early while the family is in the midst of a house renovation and living above their garage. Life is always interesting and providing fodder for stories.

Between these two births, I have been in charge of two major events at our church: the one blogged about last week, and an elegant fund raiser, The Taste of Chocolate. Both required much time. However, they were both enjoyable and rewarding endeavors.  At the same time, I have been able to squeeze in some writing time, and have actually completed revising the book. It only needs a little more work (I hope) to begin sharing in hopes of finding an agent and publisher.  Therefore, I will write more about people in the book next week.

Honoring Military Veterans

Well Golly! The last time I wrote I said I would add to the blog every week---that was the end of October! It is now the end of March. In the meantime life and dedication to family has been more essential for me than writing the blog. I guess this is meaningful because the people who are the central component of my book held family, church, and country as most important in their lives. Family often meant anyone in need.  So I claim their influence as my defense.As I was working on my book, a muse, or the Holy Spirit reminded me that the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor was approaching.  This voice kept telling me something needed to be done to honor the veterans of that war who are still living. I checked with various “powers that be” about what plans were being made at our church to honor these unsung heroes.  Guess who was given another job! After many phone calls, discussions and planning, early in November our church held a weekend of festivities to honor all armed forces veterans. In the midst of planning I discovered that the Korean War had begun in 1950 so another group of veterans were marking the 60th anniversary  of the conflict in which they served. A program and dinner on Sunday honored 16 veterans of those two wars.  Being chair for this event, took time away from writing, but it was much more important  to honor these people who had done so much for us. I was amazed to hear every honoree say that something like this had never been done before. I had just presume that surely the WW  II Vets were honored during the 50th anniversary.  The vets  eagerly shared pictures and memorabilia for a display during the dinner celebration, and all were excited to visit with friends who were amazed to learn interesting stories about some people they thought they knew. I would highly encourage you to check to see if you community has had an event to honor these vets.  . If not, perhaps you can take the lead in organizing this. The most difficult part of planning the festivities was finding out who had served. So many of these individuals have been so humble about their contributions that friends and sometimes even family members are unaware of all they have done.  Because the book I am writing takes place during WW II, it seemed more fitting that I do something concrete to honor the characters still living instead of writing.  That is the 1st reason I have been  away from writing fit to share for so long.  I will discuss the other reasons in my next post 

Back to blogging

It is raining! I will take the rain, after months seeing no real precipitation, as motivation to renew this blog that has become stagnate while I worked on finishing the novel. The first and part of the 2nd draft are finished, and I am in the process of major revisions. Rereading some sections, I often think, Was I asleep while writing this? It is awful! This is humbling work, always reminding myself that I taught students for years that the first couple of drafts are frame work--getting ideas down. Revising is where the artistic pen goes to work, and the scenes and emotions shine. I have an enormous amount of work to do. Hopefully inspiration will fall with each drop of moisture.

    The joy of this rain must be a little of the ecstasy felt by troops at the end of WW II—especially those who were in POW camps wondering what the Germans or Japanese would do with them in retaliation for defeat. In this year of the 70^th anniversary of the beginning of WW II, it is important that we remember these heroes of years ago. The sacrifices they made are so often forgotten. It is so easy to look at these now very elderly men and women and forget they have tremendously interesting stories of bravery and adventures  to tell--worthy of novels and movies. If you know an elderly person, take time to visit with them about their lives during the War.  If never a part of the military, the folks on the Home Front also have memories of sacrifice, privations, and changes in the culture of the period.

Comments are welcomed! Click below.

Father John McHugh---WWII POW

Father John McHugh---WWII POW

A few months ago, my daughter Kristine called to tell me that she had met someone who had to be included in this book (at that time, I was still thinking “short story). She had been to a dear friend, Bernadette Cathers Valsquez, wedding, and had met Fr.  John McHugh.  Kristine told me that Fr. John is a riot, and so personable to visit with, but that was not why he needed to honored.”--. Fr. John, a bombardier with the 448^th Bomber Group, was declared dead along with the entire crew of his plane that exploded on a bomb run. It was not until after the end of the war that Father (at that time Lieutenant  John McHugh) and two fellow crewmen were found among over 9,000 POWs at Stalag Luft #1 at Barth, Germany on the Baltic Sea.  

   I told Kristine that sounded like a wonderful story, but I was writing about nurses. Then she told me (as Paul Harvey would say) the rest of the story. Father had a sister Mary who was a flight nurse during the war.  Of course, Mary's heart broke when she learned her brother and the entire crew had been lost. It was also difficult knowing that her parents were suffering so much anguish. After the war, one of her last assignments before discharge was serving on the crew of one of the final evac flights of Stalag Luft #1. The events that followed is the stuff of movies about miracles.

. Recently, I checked out Stulag Luft #1 in Barth, on the NET and was amazed with the 1^st person accounts that are available. If you would like to learn more, a very interesting, informative sites is: http://www.merkki.com/stories.htm

     

In addition, you can see Fr. John McHugh on YOUTube.  If the following won’t open just type in his name.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Fr.+John+McHugh&aq=f

Aggie (Agnes Beat)--laughing flight nurse

Remember when we were really young, and anyone 10 years older was OLD. Remember when we were 40, and 75 was old. You get the picture--age is so relative.
    Last week Aggie--beautiful blonde soldier pictured on this blog---came over to play cards with some other friends. We never did play cards; we got too busy visiting and laughing so much, and enjoying each others' company.
    Even though Aggie is 90, she still is not old. Her body is trying to slow her down, but she has a full schedule every week, and I am sure she keeps everyone laughing at each event she attends.
     Unfortunately, she is so  humble that trying to get her to relate stories about her life as a flight nurse is like listening to someone tell about flipping burgers at McDs. One time, the plane on which she was in charge of between 25 & 30 injured soldiers lost an engine and made a crash landing on a remote Pacific island. To hear Aggie tell the story, it was like having a flat tire on a dirt road with a bunch of friends who were hurt a little bit--- so she took care of them until help arrived.
       When, I was a kid, and my mother's nurse friends would come to visit, I never dreamed that over fifty years later one of them would become my dear friend.  Aggie has the most wonderful, contageous laugh and spreads joy to all she meets. I can imagine most all the soldiers she cared for must have fallen in love with her. Probably a good thing she saw most only on the long flights from evac centers to real hospitals at Hickam in Hawaii and later to San Francisco.
     Looking at Aggie, and other seniors in our church family, I realize there are so many fantastic interesting stories that need to be told and preserved before it is too late.
    Last evening I was reading through an interview given by my Uncle Ben, (a bomber pilot in Europe during WWII), before he died a few years ago. Another humble person, he mentioned that the people on the homefront also made great, unappreciated sacrifices during the war.
     I would love to hear your stories and use this blog as a "beginning" to honor these people of the "Greatest Generation" who are aging much too quickly.  Please just click below--0 comments to post your reflections

Mom---"a complicated character"

I recently entered the first two chapters of the book I am endeavoring to write in a national contest, and I had been notified a couple of months ago that it was a finalist.  Received notice last week that it did not win, but the wonderful thing was the notice came with critiques for improvement---something I really welcome. However, these were not very helpful.
    One stated that Polly--Mom-- was too complicated. "At first she is a nurturing, caring young nurse, but then is cussing out someone, and being an exibitionist."  Well, if they knew Mom, they would know that was her. Loving one minute and yelling and cussing the next.
   Another critic said that Mom's  profanity was unrealistic for women during the WWII time period. Oh, that person must be young and innocent. 
   It was nice to be a finalist, but wish the critics had known Mom.  I acquired many more colorful words and phrases from her than Dad, most often the gentleman.