My mother, a self-portrait

[HarmanKardon]

Just took a photo of a watercolour painting of my mother, it is a self-portrait. She painted it in spring 1945 as a refugee in Denmark. She was 17 then. A pretty girl who simply wanted to do what all teenagers like to do. Instead she was confronted with the cruelties of war. Mother says she was paralysed, mentally almost extinguished then and she tried to put that in the expression, the look of herself on this painting. My mother lost everything and everybody in WWII, except her mother.

[4-2-7]

She is so pretty Chris,

How is she doing latly, did you all get things squaired away.

[HarmanKardon]

In the fifties she became a fashion graphic designer. She is still living and mentally very okay.

[bobabode]

Give her a hug from all of your friends here at PC on this special day. ;)

[4-2-7]

Here you go Chris I cleaned up your image a bit save it to your files. You can post it using the ULR and the tool bar in addvanced post on sites.


http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/r548/427fairlane/fcf0827b-dd19-4dc7-8a2d-3db82a895a58_zps17c40b89.jpg?t=1401949528

[4-2-7]

In the fifties she became a fashion graphic designer. She is still living and mentally very okay.

Im talking about the car keys!!! lol

[HarmanKardon]

Im talking about the car keys!!! lol

Ahh... I see... :D

Thanks for improving the picture!

[ebacon]

Beautiful.

[donquixote99]

Thanks for sharing, HK. Very poignant picture, in context....

[HarmanKardon]

Great that you like it. Her eyes seem to ask: "Why?"

[JJIII]

Just took a photo of a watercolour painting of my mother, it is a self-portrait. She painted it in spring 1945 as a refugee in Denmark. She was 17 then. A pretty girl who simply wanted to do what all teenagers like to do. Instead she was confronted with the cruelties of war. Mother says she was paralysed, mentally almost extinguished then and she tried to put that in the expression, the look of herself on this painting. My mother lost everything and everybody in WWII, except her mother.

Beautiful young girl, touching story. Thanks for sharing.

[finnbow]

It's hard for us to imagine the trauma of living through WWII in central Europe. Your mom is beautiful lady.

[BlueStreak]

Your mother survived a most horrendous disruption of her youth, Chris. And her self portrait shows her stoic despair. Hundreds of millions of people suffered the horrors of that war, scarred for life.

May this never happen again.

Dave

[merrylander]

Then extend to her an old man's apology for what the war did to her and took from her. I recently saw a photo of another equally lovely young woman with such sadness in her eyes.

[HarmanKardon]

Then extend to her an old man's apology for what the war did to her and took from her. I recently saw a photo of another equally lovely young woman with such sadness in her eyes.

But Rob - this sadness was not in vain. The war experiences of my parents generation (born around 1930, almost kids at the end of the war) was so impressing and characterizing that those experiences triggered a longing for a lifetime lasting life in peace and tolerance in a democratic government. And my generation inherited this longing.

[merrylander]

Ah so, then something was gained. In the case of the other lovely young woman, same age as your mother was, the cause of the sadness has never truly been erased but I have made her happy.

[HarmanKardon]

Rob I bow to this post.

[JJIII]

Rob I bow to this post.

What an elegant way to state your feelings.

[d-ray657]

But Rob - this sadness was not in vain. The war experiences of my parents generation (born around 1930, almost kids at the end of the war) was so impressing and characterizing that those experiences triggered a longing for a lifetime lasting life in peace and tolerance in a democratic government. And my generation inherited this longing.

Tom Brokaw wrote a book characterizing your mother's generation as "The Greatest Generation." I recently posted about a young man I work with being too pessimistic about the future to think of having kids. Imagine what horrors your mother's generation faced, and how difficult it must have been to maintain hope. Yet look at all she accomplished.

Regards,

D-Ray

[HarmanKardon]

I see so much sentiments of reconciliation in these posts. It is for me the most precious way to remember the 70th anniversary of D-Day.

[merrylander]

Chris on one of my visits to London and Florence was with me we went to see the Tower. Well just up the road is a small church All Hallows by the Tower, cornerstone laid in 697 if mamory serves.

During WW I there was a safe house in Belgium known as TOC-H and after WW I it became a society by that name, my Dad was a member.

Imagine our surprise when we entered that little church and found that the Patron of the TOC-H was buried there. It gives you a strange feeling when you visit places in another country and find a connection.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toc_H

[piece-itpete]

She's very pretty HK.

I'm glad she came through it all. I can only imagine.

Pete

[HarmanKardon]

She's very pretty HK.

I'm glad she came through it all. I can only imagine.

Pete

She suffers from D-Day today and I had to talk a lot with her about her feeling of guilt. Oh my, Mama, I said to her, you were 16 then... Yes, she says, but all those victims, all those victims because of us... Oh Mama... I gave her a hug...

[merrylander]

Chris I was going on 9 when it started, I saw a lot of it in the papers and newsreels. Believe me your mother was no more responsible than I was, she just happened to be in the wrong place at the time.

[bobabode]

She suffers from D-Day today and I had to talk a lot with her about her feeling of guilt. Oh my, Mama, I said to her, you were 16 then... Yes, she says, but all those victims, all those victims because of us... Oh Mama... I gave her a hug...

As the son of one of those US soldiers who endured the Ardennes and Rhineland campaigns against Hitler, rest assured that he held no animosity against the German people. The German people were the true victims is what he told me. He has passed on but his words still ring true and always will.
Give your Mom a hug from me & my father Chris.

[HarmanKardon]

As the son of one of those US soldiers who endured the Ardennes and Rhineland campaigns against Hitler, rest assured that he held no animosity against the German people. The German people were the true victims is what he told me. He has passed on but his words still ring true and always will.
Give your Mom a hug from me & my father Chris.

:) :) :)