Today would have been my mother Helen’s 90th birthday. It also marks 72 years since her first husband, Raymond, a heroic B-17 pilot, died in a fiery crash during World War II on her 19th birthday and first wedding anniversary. I read the letter again that he sent to her the day he died. A letter she read on her birthday and their anniversary for more than six decades.
No matter how long you have your mom in your life, it is never long enough. I miss and love you Mom – Your Raymond.
This book was written in such a way that I felt I was actually on the streets in the West Side of New York and on the roads of Ironton, Ohio. I could almost taste the soot and feel the grime from Helen’s long train rides to meet up with Raymond. This is one of the best books I’ve read in many, many years.
Thank you, Elisa. The greatest reward for me from having written about Helen and Raymond, is knowing that a reader was moved by their story.