Blog Schedule

I post on Monday with an occasional random blog thrown in for good measure. I do my best to answer all comments via email and visit around on the days I post.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

An Anniversary

My computer has been down and I am only now getting back up to speed
This is a picture of Mom and Dad on their wedding day, November 27th, 1943. They look so young and yet they were 26 and 27.

I decided to go ahead and post this because it’s not every year that Thanksgiving falls on my parent’s wedding anniversary. Were Dad alive, it would have been their 65th.

Their’s was a rather whirl-wind romance. They got married in Puerto Rico after only six months. My father’s mother (we called her Nana) confessed to my mother years later, that she had concerns her son was going to bring home an exotic dark-skinned woman. Despite whatever fears and/or prejudices Nana may have had, she wrote this letter to my mother, which Mom faithfully preserved in her Wedding Album. It is dated, November 12, 1943. Nana was writing from California.

My dear Erva: -

John has written a beautiful letter about you & has told us how much he loves you & how happy you have made him. We are all so glad to have you one of our family & wish you all the peace and happiness any girl could dream of. When John went away from P. R. he mentioned having met a girl he hoped to see again and now – that’s wonderful for him.

He has never been much of a gallant so you must have been able to see through his shyness & reserve. I am more glad than I can tell that you care for him – His brothers always had girls, coming and going, but he never did, & I always knew that when he really fell in love it would be forever.

No matter what misfortunes befall there is truly only one in life anyway.

You can depend on one thing & that is that you will not find me an interfering mother-in-law – In Puerto Rico or California –

We all wish so much that we could be present at your wedding and we really will be – in spirit any way.

Will you write me your true wishes regarding a wedding present as I asked John & he no doubt told you.

I am sure you are very busy with plans and preparations etc - & I am finding it hard to think of anything except you & John – He has always been a bit absent minded at times so if he forgets something just prod him a bit –

With lots of love,
Vivian Braendlin


Here they are about a year later at the Rose Room of the "World Famous Palace Hotel" in San Francisco (which is still in operation.) Doesn’t Dad look spiffy in his sailor suit? And Mom, fresh from Puerto Rico, and no doubt still speaking English with a strong Spanish accent, not only looks confident, but beautiful.
Sigh.



8 comments:

  1. Love the pictures and the letter - especially the advice about gentle prodding! Great tip for any new bride.

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  2. This is so sweet, Bish, and the photographs are great. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. Adrienne, Mom and Nana got along famously. And Nana was true to her word, she was not a interfering mother-in-law.

    Rena, I particularly like the second picture as it shows my parents before they had kids. It's like a tiny peek into their personal lives before Erva and I came along and changed everything.

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  4. What a wonderful thing for your Nana to do...I'm sure your mother was very touched and it always helps when you have the mother's blessing...

    The pictures are terrific...hugs...

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  5. Those pictures are wonderful, and that letter is so sweet!

    What a great story.

    I'm glad you're back in cyber-space again! :0)

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  6. Love the pictures and the beautiful letter. Esp. the part about the one and only ... sigh.

    And then you and Erva came along ... hee hee

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  7. To another "everything" day.

    Thanks!
    E.

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  8. Oh, very nice! It's great they married after a short courtship and stayed together through the years. True love for sure. :D

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Your Random Thoughts are most welcome!