Favorite Photo (2025 blog)

    

         Last year I wrote a blog for the "favorite photo" topic. It was of Grannie and Grandpa Hinch sitting on their porch swing in Spring City, TN. This same topic came up again for 2025 and I instantly knew which photo I would choose. It is of my mom in 1945, before any of their kids were born. But let me start at the beginning as to why I chose this particular photo.

Dot (Mom) Sept 1945

         My dad enlisted in the US Army during WWII and served in the Medical Corps. In December 1944 he was sent overseas. At this time, my folks had been married one year. During his time overseas, he served in France, Belgium, Germany, the Philippines and Japan. They wrote many, many letters to each other during this time. My mom saved all of his letters. He came home safely from the war, and they went on to have four kids together. My dad passed away in 1991, but my mom lived until the ripe old age of 99, passing in 2017. 

Until my mom moved into an assisted living years ago, I had no idea that she had saved all of the letters he had written to her during the war. She cautioned me many times not to throw away that blue bag where she kept them. Even at her advanced age, she would get out one of his letters and read it. She even carried one in her purse all the time.

Well, of course I did not throw them away, I took on the project in 2020 to sort, transcribe (they were in cursive), scan, and share them all with my brothers, and all of the grandchildren's families.  It took me about one year from start to finish. There were well over 100 letters, each many pages long, but it was one of the most meaningful undertakings I have ever done. 

Now on to the photo!!!!

My dad’s letter of Sept 15, 1945 started like this:

“My dearest wonderful wife, 

Today brought me one of the biggest, most wonderful surprises of my whole life, and has made me ever so happy and grateful. I got your picture!! And boy was it wonderful! I never knew I had such a beautiful wife. I actually believe you are getting better looking every day. That is the most handsome, pretty, gorgeous, lovely, and exquisite picture you ever made. I immediately shared it to everybody in the tent and they raved. They said I must have done a lot of fast talking to get a woman like you. I said it did take a lot of persuasion. Honey, I’ve never seen a picture possess so much charm and personality and distinguished appearance, and feminine liveliness, and I’ve never been more sincere in all my life. I am one of the luckiest guys in the world to have gotten you. The outfit you were wearing is simply out of this world (as you say), and you were wearing the pin and earrings that I sent you and they look so grand on you. Your hair too is lovely and I looked right into your eyes and can see all the love you have in them. And to think that that picture represents something all mine, to love, kiss and adore. You are wonderful, and thanks a million for such a wonderful anniversary gift.”

As I was transcribing this letter, I started to wonder if I knew what photo he was talking about. I had quite a few pictures of my mom when she was younger, but I had no idea what photo she had sent him, and wondered if I could figure it out.  So I got out a few of the photos that were in frames in a dresser drawer.  I took them out of their frames and looked to see if there was any information written on the back. 

back of photo

Lo and behold I found it!  It was done by a photographer in Atlantic City (where they lived at the time) and it had the date September 1945. And in addition, I remembered what dad said  in the letter about the pin and earrings she was wearing. Guess what! I have that pin, but I never knew that it was a present he sent her and that it was from the 1940’s! Unbelievable! (I have made sure to identify it in my jewelry box with a note as to why it is so special.) 

        During the rest of his time overseas dad mentioned this photo many times in his letters, stating that he was writing to her as he was looking at her photo. And now whenever I see it, I not only see my beautiful mom, but I now know the impact it had on my dad, and how much it meant to him while he was on the other side of the world. Such a beautiful present, that remains beautiful to this day.

the pin today on black background