The Window

Although I have never written an article or anything else I feel I want to share the following with you.

First let me tell you my background – I left Germany in July 1939 as a teenager to be with my brother in England until my parents could obtain a visa to America – the war came and my parents perished in Lietzmannstadt.

Over the years my husband and I have been back to my old home which was an estate near Berlin. On one of these occasions we met a little girl whose father had bought our nurseries. It was pointed out to her that I was at her age when I grew up there. Since that day she and I have kept in touch at Christmas.

On the 28th December 2005 an enormous parcel arrived from her – in it was an attic window belonging to our former lodge. The little girl had found it on the rubbish heap nearby, then painted a beautiful Christmas scene on the plain glass. In the parcel was a note saying: „Hoffentlich wird dieses Fenster Ihnen ein bisschen Freude machen und Sie an Ihre verlorene Heimat erinnern.“

I just sat there and cried.

P. S. The window is now on a fence in our garden.

—
Ursula Blanchard
Chiffre 206201