I’ll Be Seeing You

On June 23, 1944, Jim walked into our house, our eyes met, and right there and then, I fell in love with him, and him with me. The family radio was playing in the background "I'll be seeing you", which became our song.In a twist of protocol, after a week went by, "I asked Jim to marry me". He said yes, that we could get married next Monday. I told him no, lets marry tomorrow, we both agreed.At the time we both had planned to marry someone else, his was in Australia and mine was in the Army. The next day, July 1, 1944, we married, after going together for only one week. Our marriage was to be a beautiful union that would last for the next sixty-five years, and even in our deaths, it still transcends time. We both spent our wedding night writing "Dear John" letters to our fiancees. The family threw together a last minute party and invited all of the neighbors; such was the way things got done in those days. We cherished every minute of every day together, the world was ours.Fifty-six days later, Jim was gone. He was ordered to sea on another ship and took part in the invasion of Saipan and then took part in the invasion of Iwo Jima. I didn't see him again until after the war ended in 1945.The time we spent apart was more than one can imagine, unless they experienced it themselves? I worried daily for Jim's safety. Those years were tough and the world as I knew it as a little girl; was not the same anymore. It was a time of sacrifice, a time of growing up, a time for leaving the comfort of my mother and my father's home, and it was a time that I walked outside of the protective fold of my sisters.The years immediately following the war were financially difficult ones. Jim stayed in the Navy and was lucky enough to again play with the Chicago White Sox farm team. I took on odd jobs in order to make money. Jobs like ironing and cleaning someone's house. I did whatever I could in order to keep the bills paid. Jim took on side jobs as a tile setter in order to bring in some extra money. I didn't care, it was character building and I was able to be with Jim. In 1946, Jim was injured playing ball and it ended his baseball career.