Just Writing Through: March 2018

I feel as though I say this a lot, but I love what I do.

The people that I meet because of my job are amazing. Truly. Reporting on others' lives – whether it is local, hometown people or nationally recognized veterans – their stories affect me deeply. My life is so much richer because I have met some incredible people.

I sat down with Joy Aavang last month on a brisk Saturday morning over a cup of coffee in her dining room. She opened her home to me and shared her life story with me.

Five hours later, I felt like I had a new friend.

But what struck me the most was Joy’s kindness. She had been through a lot. She was raised by her grandparents in England – during the Blitz. She lived most of her childhood in the throes of danger. Hiding out in a bomb shelter was second nature to her. Occasional bumps and scratches from the jolts that occurred when the bombs hit were everyday occurrences.

She worked for Lloyds of London when a bomb fell so close to her that she was thrown to the other end of the room; subsequently, she lost hearing in one ear.

As I listened to her story, I became fascinated with this woman. She was strong. She was courageous. And she had a special kind of spunkiness that endeared her to me.

Joy is a storyteller by trade, you see. But when she spoke of meeting her husband, U.S. Marine and WWII veteran Irvin Aavang, I was captivated.

After her grandfather had passed away, she and her grandmother were bored, she said. The war was over, there was no need to hide out in a bomb shelter, and they both had a sense of adventure, so they left England and headed to the United States. I’m not sure that is what I would do – I’m a slow-and-steady, appreciate-the-calm sort of girl, so I admire her courage and her tenacity.

She wasn’t here very long before she met Irv – the man she described as a “hunk” walking through the ice cream parlor doors. The light in her eyes when she spoke of Irv was pretty amazing. This sweet couple was engaged just one week and one day after they met. And they lived happily ever after. Really.

Oh, sure, it sounds as though they had their struggles – like all of us, but they made it. And they loved one another selflessly until Irv passed away. Joy never lets a day go by without thinking about Irv. And she started yet another career: writer.

Because of Irv’s passion for the military and because Joy had so much military history in her background, the two were very involved in veteran organizations and events. It led to Joy’s desire to write down the stories of veterans – and they are beautiful. She took the time to interview each individual, and she preserved a bit of history in her three-volume work. She also went on to write a book about her adolescence during the Blitz and another about her family.

She makes it a point to share history – of all kinds. While her passion is veterans, she shares other important historical information as well. When she visits schools, she brings a cooler full of rations so children can visualize the sacrifices that were made. She brings a lighter her grandfather used while he made parts for Spitfires during the war. She also pulled out something I don’t think I’d ever even known about. Joy has a fork that a friend who was in a work camp gave to her. The fork was part of a Nazi-issued set that her friend used during her time in the camp. Always having felt just sick whenever I thought about the Holocaust, touching that fork … looking at it … holding it … there was such a sense of absolute horror that ran through me. It was powerful. It was gut-wrenching. It made me feel sick, but it also gave me hope – because this woman survived and because Joy is here to keep her friend’s story alive. She does what most people only can think about doing. She brings history to life.

Honestly, Joy is the kind of person you want in your corner. She is feisty, she stands up for what she believes, and she isn’t afraid to tell you what she thinks. But Joy also is the person who invites you for scones or crumpets. She offers you tea and she gives you a hug. She has a huge faith in God and she can wrap that faith around anything she is going through. She’s the kind of woman I can only hope to be.

You may find the article that ran in The Woodstock Independent here.