Family History Series ~ After the War

World War II had ended in 1945.

In 1946, Salomėja and Jonas had welcomed their new, five-pound bundle of joy whom they had name Salomėja Romualda, or Roma for short.

After the war, the refugees were put up the confiscated houses that had once belonged to Nazi officers. My parents, sister, and grandparents lived in one of those houses.

I wish that I had more information about that time; but for now I will have settle with what I have. (As such, this will be a short blog.)

Shortly after the war, it was common for many of the men folk to travel to other countries to obtain jobs and then return to Germany to bring their families to the new homes that they had established for them.

Jonas went with a group of men to England.

While he was still there, another group had returned for their families. Those happy reunions were just not for the sole benefit of the men's families, but also for the entire Lithuanian refugee community. People were hungry for stories about their loved ones abroad.

It must have been a fairly large community in that not everyone knew everyone else.

So, when a group of men had returned to recount their adventures in the new land and talk about that odd fellow they met there, they did not realize that the odd fellow's wife ~ Salomėja ~ was among the audience of eager ears.

How had I wished that I had known what was it about my father that made these people think he was odd. However, when I pressed for details, I was no better off than when I started.

So suffice it to say, my father was "strange" ~ not surprising since the rest of us are "strange" as well.

When Jonas returned from England, Roma was just about 2 years old. Salomėja said that because Jonas had been gone for such a long time, Roma did not recognize her own father. In fact, she was afraid of him at first. But being the gentle soul that he was, Roma's fears quickly evaporated.

With Jonas's return, it was now time to bundle up the whole family ~ including Antanas and Ieva ~ and head for the new land.

Salomėja said that before they left the Nazi officer's house, she was tempted to take with her the enormous piece of amber that she found. It was easily the size of a man's fist, perhaps even larger.

Jonas would have been able to carve more jewelry and accessories than just the earrings for Ieva and the ring for Antanas.

But Salomėja was afraid of whatever dire consequences she would have incurred had she been caught smuggling out that covetous piece of petrified sap.

So, the amber was left behind.

All I have of the amber that Jonas carved was Antanas's ring.