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Diana Schwenk, family, Germany, growing up, Hump Day Chronicles, memories, question, Russia, youth leadership
A few days ago I received an email from my uncle.
He told me that after a long while he checked in on facebook where he read my post Brotchen and Beer.
It gave him joy that somebody still thought about his dad (my Opa) every now and then.
L to R My great-uncle Waldemar and my Opa
My uncle said even when Opa was 60, he would still put a little money in my uncle’s pocket.
That reminds me of my dad who always, to this day, puts a little money in my pocket every time I see him.
He gets that from his dad, I guess.
When I wrote Brotchen and Beer I was looking around for a CD my uncle sent me a few years ago that has old family pictures.
My search proved unsuccessful amid hundreds of unlabeled CDs in my desk – a project for a future day!
As luck would have it my uncle included this picture of Opa in his younger years with his Brother-in-law, Waldemar in his email.
The email went on to say that Waldemar, my Oma’s brother, was shot in Russia many years ago, most likely by the SS but that that was a whole other story – one that I hope to hear one day.
After replying to my uncle’s email, he sent me another picture of me and him. I’m 17 years old in this picture and my uncle would be in his early 30’s.
The year is 1980 and my parents gifted me a trip to Germany as a graduation present.
Me and my uncle in my grandparent’s backyard
In this picture my uncle and I are sitting in my paternal grandparents’ backyard.
I love my hair in this photo – NOT – but one of my maternal uncles, a stylist, would give me the most god-awful perm in the next few days!
I have to admit that my uncle’s shirt brings a smile to my face!
Ahh-h the late 70s and early 80s brought a whole new meaning to fashion!
Sometimes I wish I had a scanner because I do have so many pictures I’d love to share with you of my childhood and my daughter’s childhood – maybe one day. 🙂
~
On another note…
I haven’t had much success in receiving responses to this post. My heart-felt thanks to those who did respond – it’s much appreciated!
I am listing the questions one more time just in case it might generate more responses. If not, I’ll let it go – I promise!
Who knows, it could just be that I am more anxious to know than others (who are 25 and younger) are eager to tell.
Or maybe, just maybe, it is not my story to tell.
If this is the case, perhaps these questions can act as a prompt for you to write your thoughts, in your own words, in your own post.
~ QUESTIONS ~
What do you think is the world’s biggest issue or problem? (describe it)
What do you think needs to be done to solve this issue or problem?/What are you willing to do?
Do you think it will be solved in your lifetime? Why or why not?
~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~
It’s interesting how some traits like my Opa giving my uncle pocket-money translate to the next generation…
like my dad still giving me pocket-money…
Are there generational practices or habits in your family?
What are they?
talktodiana 
It’s hard to pick a worst problem, but I’ll go with Ignorance. (From A Christmas Carol, “This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.”)
The answer, of course, is education. I try hard to give others the benefit of the education I was lucky to get.
No. Not until we recognize the value and importance of education.
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haha maybe but check out this quote I found the other day: “Half of the world’s misery comes from ignorance. The other half comes from intelligence.” ~ Paulo Coelho 😉
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(I’m not sure what I said that was humorous… I meant every word quite seriously!)
Nice quote! Quotes have a point, and Paulo’s is that intelligence can be as big a problem as ignorance, but I think the point is debatable and, at the least, the percentage is way off.
There’s really two kinds of danger there. Intelligence can design and manufacture a sharp knife, which is a danger, but there is a whole other kind of danger (to self and others) in wielding that knife ignorantly. The thing is, the problems of intelligence are solvable through intelligence. (Invent an A-bomb? Be smart enough to not use it.)
The reverse isn’t true.
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I think wisdom is what would stop someone from using the A-bomb. And wisdom transcends education or the lack thereof… But that’s just MY opinion. 😉
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I would agree completely, but I would also call wisdom an advanced form of intelligence. And I agree absolutely that wisdom — and intelligence — transcend education. (Intelligence combined with education is awesome, though!)
I’ve known some extremely intelligent people who lacked education, and I’ve known extremely educated people who lacked intelligence. Definitely two different things. That said, I still feel education is crucial. It provides a foundation for wisdom.
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Hello. Great post reflecting on the past and the extended family as part of that. I am going through the ‘photos’ part of the separation, and I am glad to discover that other people also have unlabelled discs (or as in my case, boxes of unlabelled photos. This was something that I was always going to get around to “one day” which has now been brought forward. After attempting to scan them myself, I have now turned to a professional to get them done. It is much quicker (as they have larger machines that will do many at a time) and not all that expensive – about 50c a photo and less if you do a lot in bulk. Some quality is lost in the process. Scanning from negatives – if you have them – does give a better quality. This process then gives you copies permanently on a disc to share with whoever you want…..it has become a worthwhile exercise, and one of the few positives that has come out of this ‘process’ I am going through….
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That’s wonderful Elizabeth! I’m looking forward to seeing some of them on future posts. I’m not looking forward to going through my discs because my computer is sooooooo slowwwwwwwww 🙂
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There are plenty of traits and traditions from my parents that they inherited from my grandparents and so on….and I am happy to say my children are now carrying on! Tom’s grandfather would walk out the back door and in the front door and give each person a crisp one dollar bill….we still do that. There are many little things from my parents I see in my kids that remind me of my parents and that amazes me because dad died before they were born and my son was only 2 when mom died and daughter was only a twinkle in my eyes…obviously I display some of the those traits for them to pick up.
To your other questions – there are many problems in this world; anger, greed, corruption and evil to name a few. But one of the biggest I think it is a “give me” attitude,most do not want to work and the entitlements are getting out of hand. I do not think our governments around the world care and will never create the jobs to get people back to work, I feel bad for those who are unemployed and want to work because there are no jobs and they are the ones who usually fall in-between the cracks. So no I do not see an end to this problem only it getting worse. But I will always try my best to help those I can to and at the very least make this world a little more easier for those who need encouragement and love.
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Hi Patty and thank you for your thoughtful reply! Here in canada we don’t have crisp 1 or 2 dollar bills anymore – we have loonies and twonies! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toonie
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I like your name for them better!! LOL
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Wish I could take the credit!
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I love this story. The money part made me smile. My parents also still give me money when I visit and get so offended if I don’t accept. Haha…great hair Diana!
As for the question……..I’m 31 but I’ll give it a go…. I think our biggest problem is that we don’t know how to listen to our heart, gut, intuition. We’ve lost connection as humans to who we are.
Otherwise we wouldn’t be doing stuff we’re doing. The thing is, all the rules we have in the world are for people who don’t pay attention to their own heart. So we need governments, corporations, other people to tell us what we need to do. We’re so disconnected from ourselves, that we create and cause pain for ourselves and surroundings. And we feel trapped and unhappy most of the time.
So my solution, as idealistic as it my sound, is that more people get centered and find their own voice. That voice that can tell right from wrong. We should learn to trust it, apply it around our own inner circle. The old excuse, but everybody is doing this or that, has expired. We need to dare to be the first, be ourselves when people see us and do stuff according to our heart when nobody is watching.
That’s of course one of the main reasons behind my blog, again very idealistic, but hey who cares! 🙂 I want to post wake up calls, freedom reminders, that each one of us has responsibility to be all that we are, so we have less non sense in the world. I believe financial crisis is one wake up call, people noticed, I think it will make people reconsider some of the choices, values and habits as a result of that.
But I don’t know when we’d see drastic change in a way we go about things. We need to change our thinking. Then everything else would fall in right place.
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at some level we’d have to let go of the people-pleasing side of ourselves and do what we know is right. Ironically, this would probably attract people into our lives and encourage like-minded people to work alongside us!
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love this post Diana… wish I had more time to respond…
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well you’re a busy guy, hope your project is going well!
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Love the old photos they made this post even better
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Thanks Joanne 🙂
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♥ love this ♥ and the photos are awesome!
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Thank you so much! ❤
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My grandpa gave me pocket money up until I was almost 40 – it was not because I needed it, more because he wanted me to spend his money when I visited and not my own. He also phoned me first thing in the morning on his birthday so I would not have to pay for a birthday call – chivalry I suppose.
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wow, that’s beautiful and that’s love!
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Pingback: A Grateful Man
I enjoyed your post and the photos that came with it, Diana.
As for your questions, I believe that the biggest problem facing the world is that there is far more pain, loneliness, and suffering than there is kindness.
I believe that as more people learn how interconnected we all are and get more aligned with the goodness within themselves, greater kindness in action will naturally occur.
Every act of kindness, and every person who learns of their interconnection and goodness, has the potential to ease much pain, loneliness, and suffering, so it is one of my goals to continue attempting to spread the word in every interaction I have.
Around the globe many millions of people are doing the same. We already know the solution. Now, much like the need to blanket the world with innoculations against terrible diseases, we need to keep spreading the light until the darkness of apathy, neglect, greed, and violence, have no place to hide and are eradicated.
Will total global success occur in my lifetime? No. But I believe that progress is being made every day. The problems are huge and daunting, but I believe in the greatness of the spirit within humankind to continue to gradually overcome them.
Russ
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Wow a very thoughtful response!
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Great story! As for the question, I really want to reply but I’m older than 25 so… I really want to read the replies, to be true I’m anticipating them! Have a beautiful day Diana! 🙂
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Feel free to answer the question if you like! You have a beautiful day as well Ruby!
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Well, I believe that humanity is under a big illusion. This is the main issue which causes all the other problems. The illusion that we need more than we have, the illusion that we are happy with a good job or a nice house, the illusion that we have to be the best on our field disregarding our needs and so on.Some people are “waking up” but within a new illusion. That we need external help to get out of this situation (call it aliens, spiritual beings etc) instead of focusing on the within. I believe that in this lifetime we will see many changes, a good shake that will make us look within, trust ourselves, listen to that little voice inside. In the Psychic Nest, me and my husband are working on that, to make people emotionally and spiritually stand on their own feet! http://www.facebook.com/PsychicNest you can stop by anytime and say hi! Have a beautiful day Diana! 😀
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Thanks Ruby!
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Love the rest of the story! My dad used to slip some pocket change under our plates at breakfast. His voice would carry down the hall to our bedroom as he spoke loudly to my mom, “I think it really pays the girls to come quickly to breakfast this morning!” It’s amazing how a little treat like that warms your heart and starts the day with joy! And I’m still feeling it today as I reminisce.
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I love that story! Did you ever do it with your family?
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Sure did with my daughter! 🙂
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🙂
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Sure did with my daughter! 🙂
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do you have an iphone or ipad? Some take pictures of the pictures and use that as a scanner.
I’m glad you shared that. For people who hard hard times, gifting money is a way to say I love you.
man, the biggest problem… depends on the day and mood I’m in, have to think about that.
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no ipad no iphone someone just gave me an ipod, not sure how to use it…no dvd player, no blu ray..no bluetooth no onstar no wireless connection no netflix..I am so very archaic!
haha the biggest problem question was for 25 year olds and younger for a post I had wanted to write a while back…but hey if you want to answer it, go right ahead!
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their problem is all the old people 🙂
I think your low technology life promotes thoughtful insight.
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haha that’s exactly what I thought when I was younger regarding what the world’s issue was!!
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My father always did that with a bit of pocket money for us each time we’d return from college and then leave again and does it still for the grandkids. I make sure either me or my husband gives our daughter something. Though we support them basically via bank accounts, a little cash is still a good thing!
As for your 17 year old hair– I think you look great– then and now!
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I wonder how many things we do and believe are because of previous generations and I wonder how far back they go…
haha you are too kind, I believe I was cutting my own hair back then, even now, sometimes, I cut my own bangs between visits to my hairdresser much to her dismay!
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I have sent your questions to my young one and will let you know if I have answers for you 🙂
As for the generational thing..a lovely thing my father used to say to me (and he got it from his father) was ‘you owe me nothing, you owe it to the next generation’ x
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Lovely indeed and do you say it too? 🙂
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yes I do 🙂 said it to my son-in-law just the other day..
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(smiling) that’s awesome!
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