So much to tell you...but a bit more serious...

I start on a more serious note today, but one that involves many of us as women - war.I must say that after my Anzac Day 365 Challenge Quilt entry (see photo below)I received many very moving emails.

That interested me. More personal emails than comments. Why are we happy to leave a comment but not publicly share how war has changed our lives as women, be it as a Mother, Daughter, Wife, Sister, Niece? I just want us to think about how war changes us, even if we haven't chosen to be a physical part of it.

I am very proud that my father-in-law fought for my country and for the freedom that I often take for granted today. I know that living in Australia I often feel far away from war and the women and children affected by it today.

My Father's family escaped from Europe during the Second World war. He and his brothers came home from school, and along with my Nana and Papa they got on a train, no possessions, and headed for Italy. They came to this wonderful country as refugees.

I guess that I have been thinking about women and war because I have been working with Tiffaney, a photographer, who's current work is all about "investigating the way women view and experience war and peace". I have been using some of Tiffaney's screen printed work to make some bags for an upcoming exhibition that she's having (will have more details soon). Looking at fabric images of women and children and war has been very confronting. Moving.

My daughter, Georgia, was born on the afternoon of September 10th, 2001, the day before the world changed for many of us the world over. I remember being in hospital ,alone, and the nurse literally running in - in the middle of the night insisting that I watch T.V. After a difficult birth and a general anesthetic and zero sleep I began wondering why she wanted me to watch a 'Die Hard' movie. Then of course the realization sank in - this was no movie - this was - real life.

I know that many of you, from various parts of this world we live in, that follow my blog on a regular basis, have been more directly affected by war than perhaps I have. My heart is with you, my thoughts are with you.

Writing this blog and getting to 'meet' so many women all over the world I get to see how we are so similar. I was fortunate enough last year to travel to the Middle East. I took almost 1000 photos. My favorite? A Mother carrying her sleeping baby tucked over her shoulder along with her shopping. Just like me. Thousands of miles away.....

Leanne Beasley xxx

P.S. Feel free to leave any comment you like. You may leave a comment in memory of someone you loved, of someone you miss, of someone you wish was with you now...

Comments

[lee]

Leanne, An inspiration to us all to remind us of how lucky and fortunate we all are to bring up our children in a safe & healthy environment - I have many things to say about ANZAC DAY - and I will put this into a "nutshell" - My grandfather was a Brigadier in the Australian Army and fought many wars to protect our country & give us the freedom to chose the way of life we wish - One of his grandson's (not my chid) is now engaged to a Japanese girl - his parents believe his grandfather would turn over in his grave at this terrible atrocity!- I say my grandfather fought for OUR FREEDOM TO CHOOSE what we would like and with whom we would like to spend our lives -
I only have one beautiful child and guess what - she was born on ANZAC Day 15 years ago. How special is she & all the babies born on such a memorable and momentous day!

[rose]

Sept 11!...i remember it was school holidays and my daughter woke me up because she was upset ABC Kids wasnt on (there was only this plane going into a buliding....her words!!!)
I was pregnant.......i got up and became riveted to the TV.....i had to force myself to leave the news reports and took comfort in folding the singlets and grosuits id brought for my new baby........all i could think of as i stocked his cupboards, was what sort of world was i bringing my children into??......it still scares me!!!

[Sue]

My grandfather and his brothers fought in the war, although 2 were killed in it. I remember September 10th 2001, as it was my birthday, and that night on tv I was bottlefeeding my new 1 mth old daughter, and thought it was a movie too. Sheer terror gripped me and I ended up having post natal depression brought on after that as I could not deal with all those images on the tv that were very real. I still have fits of anxiety about things like that since then, especially the tsunami and the bali bombings. I dont know how people cope, as I am not even in that country when those things happened, but still it affects me so I try not to watch all of those things anymore on the tv. There is enough bad things happening in the world, that I think I just want my little world to be a bit better. I loved your Anzac patch by the way, and I think all people that have relations that served in the war do have a sense of pride about what they fought for us to have.

[Paula]

I miss my Irish grandmother. You can read what I wrote about her here: http://coffeetimequiltstudio.blogspot.com/2007/03/happy-birthday-dema.html

I also miss my dad, although he's still alive. I live 1,500 miles away from him. He had to go into a nursing home last fall. It's been hard on my mom. My parents have been married for 60 years. They were a WW II couple. My dad joined the Navy at 17 and served the last few months of the war.

Thanks for a thoughtful post

[anne bebbington]

A very interesting post Leanne - I'm lucky I guess as I've never lost anyone close as a result of war although I was widowed by a road traffic accident at the age of 29 so I guess I have some empathy with those who have lost someone - your bit about the mother and baby in the middle east struck me that men are usually the ones who make war women are those who pick up the pieces and endeavour to carry on - thank goodness for women!

[kerry]

I like Jocelyn miss my Nanna (my mum's mother) she was such an influence in my life, I can't begin to think what life would have been like without her, she passed away when my son was 1 year old, (now 17) I am grateful that she got to know both of my children, I only wish she was here today to share my wonderful life with me, but i know she is always with me, I feel her presents every day. I often think of the battles she faced in her life and how living through WW1, WW2 the depression and so on, the hardships they faced living on the land, bringing up 5 children.What would our lives be like without the battles they conquered?
Leanne, you have certainly sent my mind thinking tonight, I must drag out my Nanna's transcripts she wrote in her last years and re-read them. She talks about many journeys throughout her life in them.
My thoughts are with each and everyone who has lost a close one.
God bless
Kerry

[nicolette]

On the 4th of May, we celebrate a day called ‘Dodenherdenking’ which means ‘Remembering the dead’. It has everything to do with WW2. But not only that war comes to our minds, also al the wars that are going on right now in Irak, Afghanistan, in parts of Africa, not to mention all the religious battles and the struggle for equal rights, that are a fact all over the world. On the 4th of May I think also of all the people I miss, like my brother I never knew because he died 6 weeks old on the 5th of May, 1945. He became ill and there were no medicines. He is the first born of my mother and I would have loved to have an older brother. My sister who died of a heartattack in 1985, only 38 years old, leaving behind a husband and two little girls. She is the second born of my mother. My mother has lived through all these tragedies and is 86 years old now and still keeping up her spirit. I wonder how she manages all that, she is so busy every day reading, knitting, taking care of her little garden on the balcony. I miss my father, my granddad and my grandmum where I stayed so many times when I was a little girl. My grandmum learned me how to cook. I’m grateful for the talents I inherited from them, they were very creative and they inspire me every day.

[Jocelyn House]

People I miss? Well I really miss my wonderful Grandma (mum's mum) who died just before my 8th birthday. For two third's of each year she would live with us in a granny flat attached to the house, and I well remember the delights of two breakfasts, the ordinary one and then another with Grandma, of standing on a chair and helping as she mixed and baked THE most delicious ginger biscuits, of being read to at night-time, and of just generally spending time with this wonderful woman. For the remaining third of the year she would travel back up to Queensland as she found Canberra winter's entirely too cold for her.

I also miss all my great aunts and uncles who were Grandma's brother's and sisters - Uncle Jack, Aunty Joan and Aunty Dai. Aunty Dai and I shared a birthday so that made her extra special. In many ways it was like lots and lots of grandparents.

And very definitely I miss my grandfather (mum's dad) who died two years before I was born, and who I knew only through stories and photos.

And lastly there is my mother's only brother, John, who I mentioned in a previous comment, and who was killed aged 23 in PNG during WW2. I always felt this Uncle John shaped hole in my life, particularly as it has always be hard to get Mum to talk about him much, as I think it still hurts her so desperately to have lost her only sibling. They were very close.

But I must say that I also still very much feel their presence with me, and still talk to them all and let them know how much I love them.

I am lucky to have had such wonderful people as relatives.

Jocelyn
Bungendore