A Gift From Beyond To Be Thankful for

Times have been rough for my family lately, (I've written about it on my family blog). That's why I've been doing a little more praying. Kinda hard to do since I already pray all the time. Usually, calling out to the Holy Spirit in it's entirety, and sometimes speaking directly to specific people. Ancestors who may be aware of my situation, those who may have the power to, and who might be willing to, lend us a hand in our struggles. Pull some strings, or put in a good word.

We traveled to Baltimore for Thanksgiving. Our family had recently suffered a loss, back in September, and after years of family drama and turmoil, this was going to be a very special time for us. Not only did my family back home need some together time to rekindle our bonds, and help each other heal from some old wounds... my own little circus needed a break from the hardships we were suffering as well. Two states away was a mighty attractive distance.

Good times all around. Rough patches, but good times. Then, on the night before Thanksgiving, Mom was giving me copies of some very old family photographs, that had been in her uncle's possession, until his death. Wonderful photos that I wanted to add to my Ancestry.com tree. I logged on, for the first time in about two months, and was surprised to see a message waiting for me. (Oh, I get scared and excited all at once when I get a message on Ancestry.com. Eight out of ten times it means I'm about to be blessed with a new tidbit of information, or documentation, or (God-willing) photographs!

It was a woman from the New England area, whom I did not know, who had no relation to my family at all. What she did have was a story to tell, and it wasn't even her story to tell. 

an envelope that contained a letter
from a soldier to a nurse in WWII

It was the tale of a young soldier in WWII who had fallen in love with a young nurse. As they were separated for much of the time, serving their country, they carried on their relationship through love letters, sent from base to base. Occasionally, a friend would help them coordinate a meeting, and purchase train tickets so that they could be together briefly. They imagined their life together after the war. They shared the details of themselves, including personal demons, and imperfections. One detail that the nurse was a little late in sharing, was that she was already married to another soldier, who was also serving in the war. She proclaimed that she was not happy in her marriage, and would rather be with her new love. Although hurt, he encouraged her to tell her husband about their affair and leave him, but she also confessed that she would be unable to have children, if they were ever married. 

The young soldier was devastated. All he ever wanted was to be married, to settle down with a good wife, and raise a large family. It was his American Dream. He had come from a large family, as did his mother, and it was something for which there could be no compromise. The relationship was over.

Now, that is where the stranger's story ended, and she was interested to know whatever had become of that young soldier, Adolph K Bayne. The one that everyone around him called "Baynie". The one who, many years later, became my grandfather.

I picked up the story from there, assuring her that he did live his dream. He did marry, and settle down, and he had four daughters. The family he had always wanted, for whom he could protect and work to provide for. And although he did continue to struggle with his personal demons, he had lot of fun along the way.

   

But the rest of the story on that Thanksgiving Eve, was just as astonishing, as the tale itself! This perfect stranger to me, came upon these letters when she was thirteen years years old. Her family was on vacation in New England, and while playing in the woods one day, she and her sister came upon an old abandoned house. Being curious children, they investigated, and found these letters left behind with other old forgotten things. She took them home, and read them, and reread them. She stored each letter, and envelope in protective sleeves, stored them in a binder and for more than 24 years, kept them tucked away, hoping someday to find the players in the dramatic love story. Or at least a descendant who would finish the story for her. She recently joined ancestry.com and began entering what information she had, and the search results led her to me and my extensive family tree.

Now if that isn't a holiday gift from somewhere beyond our knowing, then I guess I wouldn't know one if it punched me in the face. But I do know one when I see it, and I took it as a sign that my grandfather would be joining us for dinner.