18 Years Ago: May 8th--Day before due date meets historical anniversary

Today, as we hear across the airwaves, is the 70th anniversary of the Victory in Europe during World War II, known as V-E Day. One place I get my news is a daily program called The Takeaway (Public Radio International). On today's show, John Hockenberry discusses the complexities of this date in the present European situation: World War II allies have stayed away from Russia's celebrations because of disagreements about the Ukraine.

This week in Germany, the most interesting discussion on this topic for me was an SWR2 Forum radio conversation on Tuesday called "Plötzlich wollten alle Deutsche nett sein" (Suddenly all the Germans wanted to be nice). Elisabeth Bronfen (professor of English and American studies at the University of Zurich and New York University) and others discuss the writings of three American women, including Margaret Bourke-White, who were in Germany at the time of the liberation and reported on what they saw and photographed. Excerpts from the texts (as quoted by SWR2) include:

"Niemand ist ein Nazi. Ich war nie in der Wehrmacht. Wir haben von nichts gewusst". US-Kriegsberichterstatter bekamen solche Sätze bei Kriegsende in Deutschland "so häufig zu hören, dass sie uns wie eine National-Hymne vorkamen"[.]

"No one is a Nazi. I was never in the army. We didn't know a thing." US reporters heard such comments at the end of the war in Germany "so often they began to sound like a national anthem"[.]

If you have an inclination to listen to intelligent discussion of some feisty reporting--in German--I recommend this broadcast. While you're on the SWR2 website, you might also appreciate their section on Stolpersteine. Photographs and texts accompany short radio segments about these memorials in the southwest German region.

I can be quite certain that on May 8, 1997 I gave no thought to V-E Day. It would have been the 62nd anniversary--not a round number to make headlines. May 8th was the day before my official due date. I had plenty of things on my mind, as evidenced in questions jotted down for a prenatal appointment: Beta strep result and current protocol; What happens in the birth room if Dad has a cold? Current size, weight and orientation of baby; Pressure on uterine floor/cervix. I didn't write down the answers, but I checked each item off.

On the same page, Markus' handwriting details what happens when the baby is "overdue." At one week past the due date, there would be a non-stress test and ultrasound. The amount of amniotic fluid would also be checked twice weekly in the Fetal Diagnostic Center. I'm glad to be reminded that Markus and I went to the appointment together.

May 8, 2015: Speaking of overdue, I enjoyed a long-delayed chance to meet with my friend and fellow writer Nicole (pickles-and-onions.blogspot.com) this morning. Nicole and I met in 2011 when she was pregnant with the first of her two children. We bonded over undertakings like breastfeeding as well as over writing. Among many other points of intellectual and emotional connection, our friendship has given me the chance to visit the days of pregnancy and little kids--vicariously.

For a little history, here's what the Simon candle looked like in 2005. We invited Simon's friends over for Simon's "8th birthday". We all lit candles and watched them melt down to puddles of color. The tall, faceted magenta candle is like the one we lit for Simon's memorial service in 2004. He loved lots of color, and magenta was his absolute favorite.

The Simon candle in May 2005, with candles lit by his friends
to remember his 8th birthday.

I thought to share this photo tonight because I used the same dish to make pasta for dinner. It's been a while since we had such a large dish of sand as a regular part of our living room. Every time I use the pasta bowl, I think of lighting candles--lots and lots of candles with lots of friends and family--for Simon.

Veggie Alfredo, 2015