Remembering The Women
Are you remembering & writing about the women in your family during wartime?
This will probably trigger people but I'm totally ok with that. If I trigger you, it will possibly ask you to consider your beliefs, behaviors, and patterns. It may make you question your own family history.
There is no right or wrong here - just an invitation for an exploration into your beliefs, patterns, behaviors, and your family's war trauma.
Have you noticed society been programmed to (primarily) only remember and honor men who fought and died in war. Why are their stories so much more valuable and important than the stories of all the women who also served? What about the women, children, and men unable to serve in war, those who stayed on the home front - no matter where in the world they lived?
When we look at women especially, they are primarily the ones that kept things going on the home front in the U.S. and Europe and elsewhere. They are the ones who had to work, raise children, help family, and community all at the same time. They are the ones who took on the heavy responsibility of caring for the men when they came back - IF they came back. Every man who returned was wounded in some way - visible or invisible. Women were the ones who were supposed to shut up, take it, deal with it, and keep going with little to no support.
When we look at the women who lost a spouse during the war - most people don't talk about her grief, her loss, how she moved on, and what choices she had (or didn't have based on how you perceive things.) How did her moving on affect children she had prior to or during the war with her now dead or missing spouse? How did her new spouse, if she took one, deal with the ghost in the house of the "war hero who died" along with his own war stories, trauma, and grief?
I write about one woman, Virginia Scharer who married my cousin AVG Flying Tiger Robert Brouk and later joined the Women’s Army Corps after his death, in my book The Tiger’s Widow. I wrote about her in another article.
All of these things impact the traumas, unfinished business, undigested and unintegrated pieces of war, that were passed down through the generations by men and women. Today the children, grandchildren, great grandchildren deal with all of this, often on an unconscious level. Today, women are still pushing to have a voice, even from beyond the grave.
What does the voice of your female ancestor say about WWII or any war? Are you writing those stories? What do the voices of her children, grandchildren, and others say about the wounds they carry? Where are you still trying to make your own voice heard?
Need some writing support with coaching included?
If you would like to start writing and need a little support, I have a brand new workshop on Saturday 17 February 2024 called Words That Heal. The Power of Writing a Veteran’s Story.
Learn more & register for this transformative workshop.
What the Program Includes
75-Minute Webinar
- Gain insights and inspiration during an engaging live webinar that guides you through the art of crafting compelling veteran stories.
30-Minute Private Coaching Session
- Receive personalized guidance and feedback from an experienced coach to enhance the depth and impact of your narratives. This session must be scheduled and used within 30 days of the program or you lose it.
500+ Writing Prompts Book
- Unleash your creativity with a comprehensive book of over 500 writing prompts tailored specifically for capturing the essence of veteran and civilian experiences.
PDF Guides
- Navigate the writing process seamlessly with our detailed PDF guide, packed with tips, Do’s and Don’ts, writing themes, outlines, and more.
- Military Service Questionnaire.
- A guide on the emotional toll of research and writing.
BONUS!
Webinar & Worksheets - Breakdown! Unspoken Effects of Genealogy & Military Research
- Have you heard of Compassion Fatigue? Are you or have you been a caregiver? Have you experienced anger, grief, loss, shame, guilt, etc., as a result of your research? Have you become depressed or anxious? Join me to explore the ways our research & professional work can impact our mental health & resources to help us keep our energy high.
Learn more & register for this transformative workshop.