Exchanging Portraits (Part 67)

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1937. A friend of Mom's passes along a memento.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 66)

Erlangen, Germany, 1946. This woman was one of my Mom's medical-school classmates.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 65)

Probably Schweinfurt, Germany about 1948. This fellow was one of my Dad's scouting buddies.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 64)

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1980. My Kaunas Cousin has grown up.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 63)

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, October 1957. A close friend of my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, sent this photo.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 62)

Location Uncertain, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1955. This family sent a snapshot to my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana. I don't know who these folks are.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 61)

Mariampolis, Lithuania, October 21, 1938. Here is another high-school portrait of Joy.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 60)

Australia, August 12, 1952. A friend of Mr. Irene's Dad sent this memento.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 59)

Poland, 1960. This is one of our Polish relatives; I know nothing else about her.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 58)

Seligenstadt, Germany, about 1949. My Mom's friend has a passport photo, and she is ready to emigrate.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 57)

Probably Seligenstadt, Germany, 1949. A friend of Mr. Irene's Dad passed along this memento before the friend sailed to the United States.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 56)

Dresden, Germany, 1944. A cousin of Mr. Irene's Dad adjusts to life as a Displaced Person.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 55)

*     *     *     *     *

Leipzig, Germany, December 13, 1944. My Mom's friend wrote:

Oh how we could use some luck,
if only a little
if only as much as
the blooming flower on the window ...

The friend's imagery derives from a winter incident Mom recalls. The barracks in which Mom stayed had no central heating.* Mom kept a vase on the window sill. Once, although the water in the vase froze overnight, the flower kept blooming.

*Mom would heat an iron before going to sleep, and she placed it on the mattress so the bedding warmed.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 54)

Erlangen, Germany, Spring 1946. Another classmate of Mom's passed along this memento.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 53)

Probably Vienna, Austria, about 1948. This is my Dad's friend, Casey.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 52)

Kaunas, Lithuania, October 10, 1948. A friend gave Mom this "senior portrait" and wrote, "When you glance at this photo, remember the friend who loved you very much."

Exchanging Portraits (Part 51)

Erlangen, Germany, March 4, 1945. My Mom's classmate gave her this memento.

Exchanging Portraits (Part 50)

Lewiston, Maine, May 26, 1952. A friend of Mr. Irene's Dad wrote, "For memories."

Exchanging Portraits (Part 49)

Wiesbaden, Germany, September 9, 1946. A cousin of Mr. Irene's Dad wrote, "Keep me also in mind as you sail across the sea."

Exchanging Portraits (Part 48)

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1940. My Dad's friend passes along a keepsake.