Happy Anniversary, Walt: Love Never Fails

Today is my wedding anniversary.

It's hard to believe Walt and I have been married for 44 years.

It was a freezing night in January when we met. I was 19 and he was 20. He was an airman stationed at Scott Air Force Base across the river in Illinois. I was working as a civilian clerk-stenographer for the Army in St. Louis. Kathy and Judy, two of my friends from work, convinced me to go with them to a Friday-night dance on the base.

Six months later, one week after he turned 21, we were married on a steamy Friday evening at St. Mary's Church in Bridgeton. We left for our honeymoon in Cape Cod later that night.

Today we are going to eat lunch at a restaurant he heard about on talk radio. He has been wanting to check it out for some time. They have great seafood and blues music. Two of his favorites.

Yesterday we ordered new living room furniture as anniversary presents to ourselves. When you've been married for more than four decades, a comfy couch and matching loveseat are quite the romantic gifts.

With this being a blog about books and writing, I have to make a comparison between writing and marriage.

When I read a book or a story, one mark of what separates the good from the great is: Would I read it again?

Like a great piece of writing, the question about our marriage is: Would I do it again?

Without a doubt, the answer is: Yes!

So, happy anniversary, honey. Here's to many more.

"Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails."  1 Corinthians 13.

New Beginnings - Thoughts on My Husband's Coming to America 50 Years Ago

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the day my husband and his mother arrived in America. He was barely a teenager when they left their homeland in the Bavarian state of Germany and traveled across the Atlantic for seven days.

A few days before their departure, Walt hid in a farmer's barn because he didn't want to leave. His mom knew where he was all along, and he reluctantly accompanied her on the voyage to America to join his older sisters who were already here. Walt told me that after he arrived on land he walked sideways for days after being at sea for so long.

Walt's mom spoke no English when they arrived in New York, and he only knew a few curse words he'd learned from the G.I.s stationed near their home. So, after they arrived and a customs officials searched their belongings, Walt couldn't convince the burly agent not to confiscate antiques and collectibles they'd brought with them. The collectibles were from World War II, World War I, and the 100-Year War.

Thus, was Walt's introduction to America. The hope is that the collectibles, including daggers and swords, ended up in museums, but most likely they were sold by the inspector. Later that day Walt and his mom were greeted by his sister and brother-in-law (a Massachusetts policeman), but by then it was too late to track down what happened to the confiscated goods.

What is weird about the timing of this fifty-year anniversary is that last week I received two Facebook friend requests, both from Germany. I didn't recognize the names and started to delete them until I read the messages--one in German and the other in English.

The first was from Walt's nephew who still lives in Bavaria, and whom we hadn't heard from in more than twenty years--when we lived in Germany. Reiner speaks Bavarian, German, English, and French, so he has no problem conversing in English. But, he used a pseudonym and I didn't recognize his Facebook name. The other note was from Rudy, a classmate who wrote in Bavarian to tell Walt about their class reunion next month. My German is rusty and I could make out only a few words, so Walt translated the rest. What's strange is that my husband is not on Facebook, but Reiner and Rudy found him because I use my married name on Facebook.

So, how does all this relate to writing? Here's what I think:

Beginnings -  While staring at a blank page is not as daunting as leaving one's homeland, sailing across an ocean, and starting a new life--starting a new story, essay, poem, or novel is exciting and a bit frightening. Sometimes it takes awhile to convince yourself to get going.

Faith -  Letting go of the familair to take a chance on the unknown takes faith and courage. Who knows what lies ahead?

Setbacks - Not knowing how to respond to someone in power is a helpless feeling.  Writers deal with rejection every day. The best way to handle it is to speak up when you can and do it gracefully.

Connections - Have an online presence. Like the two Bavarians who found Walt through my Facebook page, who knows if an agent or an editor might be searching for you? You might want to use a name people recognize--unless you're tyring to avoid bill collectors or old flames. ;-)

Celebrations - Making a daily word count goal, completing a final revision, winning a contest, or receiving an acceptance are all reasons to celebrate. Let's just hope it doesn't take 50 years!

So, happy anniversary, Walt. I'm so glad you and your mom decided to join your sisters in America and made the trip across the Atlantic fifty years ago! 

And good luck to all writers who have the faith and courage to begin, survive the setbacks, make  the connections, and celebrate success.

Cup of Comfort for Military Families Winner and An Announcement

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who left a comment last week on my birthday/giveaway post wishing Walt a Happy Birthday and entering to win a copy of A Cup of Comfort for Military Families, which includes my true story about Walt's Vietnam experience titled, "Coming Home."

So many of my visitors have connections with the military. I loved reading your comments and memories of those in the military and civilians who serve or have served us. Special thanks to everyone who linked to my blog.

I wish you all could win a copy of the anthology, but I picked only one name at random.

And the winner is . . .

JANET

So, Janet, if you will please e-mail me at dvolkenannt (at) charter (dot) net with your mailing address I will mail the book to you later this month.

If you didn't win this time, I hope you will try again. I plan to give away another copy of the anthology to honor our veterans around Veteran's Day in November.

Now for my special announcement:

Tomorrow, July 13, as part of the WOW! Author's Blog Tour, TRACY SEELEY, professor of English at the University of San Francisco, will be my guest blogger.

Tracy is the author of the memoir My Ruby Slippers: The Road Back to Kansas. Tracy's book is a great read. In fact, I plan to post my review of her book some time this month.

So, please stop by on Wednesday to find out what Tracy has to say about her experience publishing with a University Press. And check out Sioux's Page today to see what Tracy has to say about editing.

Last: Happy anniversary to Walt. On July 12, 1968, a super hot Friday evening--Walt and I were married at the church of St. Mary of the Assumption in Bridgeton, Missouri. That night we left Missouri to drive to Western Massachusetts to spend time with his family--and on to celebrate our honeymoon, which was an ever farther drive to Buzzard's Bay on Cape Cod. It's hard to believe it was 43 years ago. Time flies when you're in love!

A Winner, Some Wins, and Happy Anniversary, Walter

Thanks to all my visitors who took time to leave a comment last week about my giveaway in honor of veterans.

Drum roll, please . . . The winner of the copy of A Cup of Comfort for Military Families, which includes my true story "Welcome Home," is . . .

ALICE. Please e-mail me at dvolkenannt (at) charter.net to make arrangements for me to get the copy to you.

Speaking of winners, I was happy to find out three of my submissions won awards in the Ozarks Writers League (OWL) writing contests. The awards were presented during the First Annual Hillbilly Formal last Friday evening in Branson, MO. Although I wasn't able to be there, some of my writing friends called, e-mailed, or posted the good news about my wins on Facebook.

My non-fiction article "Nicholas Cage and the Magic of Writing" won first place in the Storyteller Magazine contest. A short story of mine, "The Window Washer," won second place in a short story contest sponsored by High Hill Press. Last, "Criminal Minds," a short story that has recently been published in Hot Flash Mommas: A Shaker of Margaritas, won honorable mention in the Mystery/Suspense/Paranormal short story contest, sponsored by OWL President Delois McGrew. Several of my writing pals also were big winners, including Linda Fisher, Judy Stock, Bill Mueller, and others I'm hoping to hear from soon. Congratulations to all!

Saving the best for last: Happy anniversary to my husband Walter, who became a United States citizen on this date in 1968, a little more than six years after he emigrated to the USA from West Germany. Walt was in the US Air Force at the time stationed at Scott AFB, in Illinois, which is where we met.

We had been married only four months, and I remember him studying for his citizenship test at nights after he got off work. For almost a year a captain at the base had tutored him on the constitution and American law.

The day Walt became a citizen, the judge at the courthouse in East St. Louis, IL, gave him his citizenship test, which was not about the Constitution or laws, but to write in English this sentence: "It is a fine day."

Walt passed with flying colors. And, for us, it was a fine day!