Chris Vath had such a privilege. He is part of a family who discovered, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a duffel bag filled with 500 letters his parents (pictured here at their wedding reception) had exchanged during three years of separation during World War II, beginning when his mom was 16 and still in high school and his father was 18 and serving in the U.S. Navy. Although Katrina flooded his childhood home with nine feet of water, the letters inside the bag survived, still legible.
A musician, Chris picked excerpts of those letters, combined them with musical arrangements, and created "The Katrina Letters," an hour-long performance of readings and music. Two girlfriends and I attended a production last night at the New York Encounter, the three-day annual cultural festival hosted by the ecclesiastical group Communion and Liberation.
We talked about what fine writers these teenagers were. We wondered if any teenager today could be gifted with beautiful thoughts from the heart and be able to express their thoughts in such lovely clear writing.
And finally, we talked about what a gift that duffel bag must have been and what a labor of love for the son to sort through the letters, pick out just the right ones, set them to music and offer them to the rest of us, a gift from the past that reminds us of the strength of love. Robert and Jeanne Vath are gone, but their letters and their love remain.
While hundreds of people attended last night's performance at the Manhattan Center, I hope this work will find a still larger audience. "The Katrina Letters" reminds us that love survives everything.
It sounds inspirational. How hard was it to get there?
ReplyDeleteeasy peasy. The Manhattan Center is about a block from Penn Station. I hope you go, Melissa!
DeleteThis is a great story. I also have a cigar box of letters from my Father written to my Mother during WWII. They are microfilmed copies of my Fathers love letters to my Mother that were censored and then reproduced on film to the size of a 3x4 card. Very interesting to see, and a true love story to read. The amazing thing is to follow the dates on each letter. My Father never made a comment about the war on any of these letters....I'm thinking that if he did it was censored and omitted in the film process. One sure fact was the love they had for each other over a period of a three years separation by the war!
ReplyDeleteSuzanne: Wow. I get goosebumps just reading this. You would love this production; I hope it finds a wider audience.
DeleteWhat a gorgeous post - thank you! My Mum outlived Dad by many years - e died when I was barely 16. Till the day she died, she would say she was married and for an increasing number of years: she would never say she was a widow. When I started to sort out their things after Mum died two years ago, I began to appreciate why. I suddenly began to see why. They weren't just my parents; they were real lovers who had grown together and endured together from their twenties. Thanks again and God bless x
ReplyDelete