“In every conceivable manner, the family is link to our past, bridge to our future.” Alex Haley

I had the opportunity this past weekend to see relatives who I don’t get to see as regularly as I would like, since much of my family is spread fairly far and wide. We were helping my Aunt Jody move from the house she had lived in for 50 years or so into an apartment and, as you would imagine, such a task doesn’t happen in one day. Cousins and second cousins had spent countless hours going through a lifetime of stuff with my aunt, trying to winnow down the mass into a manageable amount that would fit in a much smaller place.

My sister was also there to help and took the opportunity to give me an envelope full of items that she had in her possession – in particular, some copies of my late father’s “V-Mail” to his parents in the later years of World War II during his service in Europe, documents which I had never seen before. “V-Mails” were sort of a of hybrid telegram that allowed a serviceman or woman to dash off a note to those at home in a relatively brief and informal manner, which was perfect for a soldier serving on the front lines under trying circumstances.

What struck me at first was their conversational nature: it was almost like my dad was chatting about the weather, except of course for the repeated use of words like “foxhole” and phrases like “artillery fire.” He clearly tried to avoid sending stressful messages home, but as the war progressed and he moved into close combat in Germany, it became harder for him to seem casual and carefree. More and more, his messages began to reflect a sergeant in the 3rd Infantry who didn’t know for sure what day it was or when he was going to get his next change of clothes, let alone fresh food.

What struck me next was how important it was to hold onto the little things that for him defined home and comfort. Before he was shifted into combat, he had used his artistic talents to work as an illustrator and sign maker for special services, and in his messages home, he never stopped looking at his situation with an artist’s eye. He noticed both the beauty of the countryside and the devastation that devoured it. He wrote about his fellow G.I.’s in descriptive and evocative words that made it easy to place yourself alongside him, even though his reality was inconceivable to those who weren’t experiencing it firsthand.

But most of all, he worked hard to keep his mother, father and sister’s hearts at ease. He constantly wrote about his concern for them, and even when writing from circumstances of great discomfort, he had a simple gift for shifting focus from himself to how the folks at home were holding up.

The most moving passage was only a few sentences in a single note. He had spent several nights in a foxhole in deep cold, eating K-rations and listing to the sound of heavy guns up ahead, and he realized that it was Easter when he heard the bells of a nearby town ringing out clear and true. He called it “the most unusual Easter I ever had & probably will ever have,” speculating that it was the first time the village had been able to ring church bells for Easter in a long time. By the end of the messages, V-E Day had come and gone, and he was relieved but worried about the possibility of being transferred to the war’s “other front,” the Pacific.

I come from large families on both my mother’s and father’s sides. My aunt is the last surviving member of her generation on my mother’s side, and my father was the last surviving male on his side. I treasure every moment I got to spend with all of them through the years, and yet am always surprised to discover that I know little about how they really lived. Completely by chance, my sister gave me my father’s V-Mail on what would have been his 92nd birthday. I can’t help but think that happened for a reason. Family folklore is our birthright; it is an art form to be treasured and nurtured, for it is so easily misplaced in our hectic world.

At The Music Settlement, we have been part of this community’s folklore for nearly 97 years, through four generations and counting. We continue to build on the vision of our founders and predecessors, to transform lives for the better. This evening, Tuesday, October 13th at 6:30pm, The Music Settlement is joining with the Cleveland Heights/ University Heights City School District and the Office of the Mayor of Cleveland Heights to host a community forum to discuss our ongoing plans to develop a comprehensive early childhood learning center at the site of the former Coventry Elementary School in Coventry Village. The forum is free and open to the public and will take place at the site of the elementary school at 2843 Washington Boulevard in Cleveland Heights. All are welcome!

We are expecting a great crowd for this meeting, which is the first in a planned series of forums aimed at offering the public a chance to become better informed and more deeply involved in what we know will be a major community development project for Coventry Village and our region. We hope to see you there!