Joy Aavang -- a person you should know

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.

 Joy Aavang's published works.

Joy Aavang shows me her wedding rings.

The Nazi-issued fork Joy shared with me -- there is a Swastika on the back. 

This would rank as one of the most difficult things I've photographed.

The lighter Joy's grandfather carried while he worked in a factory creating parts for Spitfires during WWII.

The lovely Mrs. A

Perusing her own books for images to share with me as she tells her story.

Pictures that tell stories...

Figure Skating, Sarah Hogan

Figure skating is not for the faint of heart.

It is a costly sport. It requires dedication – often in the wee hours of the morning before most of us are up.

It requires the grace of a ballerina and the athleticism of a gymnast. It requires blades and boots that possibly cost more than my entire wardrobe. It requires costumes, bedazzled with bling, and hand-sewn to fit every inch of a skater’s body perfectly. It requires ice time and private coaches. It requires fearless commitment -- to the sport, to the ice, to the jump.

But it also requires heart – and a bond between skater and coach.

Luckily Sarah Hogan has a handle on this relationship. Her mother, Michelle, is a skating coach herself. She credits her mother for inspiring her and encouraging her, as well as her other coaches Melissa Wasz and Lars Jensen.

A skater looks to her coach for advice, to her parents for support and to the ice for inspiration.

Hogan knows this life well. As a high school senior, she is up before most of her friends are out of their deep-sleep cycle. She is at the rink, training, perfecting her jumps and getting up – yes, getting up … time after time, day after day, jump after jump. That is what makes her a figure skater. For those with perseverance, success always is within reach.

Read more about Hogan in my article in The Woodstock Independent here:

Winter Olympics 2018

I've been busy -- a little too busy for my liking, but I've been covering a lot of local events for the paper and photographing a lot of places, animals, people and events.

I'm going to try to make a concerted effort to have more time for my blog -- starting with The Olympics.

Both of my daughters are figure skaters, so the Winter Games are kind of a big deal for us. As a homeschooling family, we are taking time to enjoy this once-every-four-years event.

My girls also are taking turns being sick, so we've been snuggling up by fires, surrounded in blankets and learning about different countries, flags, sport and disciplines.

This might be only the second time we've made Rice Krispie treats. But, the Winter Olympics seem to call for it! 

Feeling well enough to work on her Olympic Games lapbook.

The Opening Ceremonies called for arts, crafts and a couple of good books.

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These Usborne books were just what we needed for a quiet night at home. My friend Kelly never steers me wrong! Check out her Usborne Books page -- and ask her for her suggestions! 

It seemed appropriate to watch the Olympic Torch ignite as we held our own torches -- $.99 LED flashlights, some yellow and orange tissue paper and a Rainbow Loom rubber band.

Lapbooks provide a great way to keep all of our information at our fingertips -- I'll post more photos as we make more progress in our unit.

Sage YMCA, Paralympic Gold Medalist and U.S. Navy Lt. Brad Snyder

I had the privilege of photographing the first Sage YMCA Community Breakfast Program (visit Sage YMCA to learn more or to donate) that included international speaker, author, USA Paralympic gold medalist swimmer and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Brad Snyder.

It was an early morning when members of the community and YMCA members came together for a breakfast designed to encourage and inspire as well as to raise money for programming.

The breakfast began with local performances from a District 47 bell choir, The Summers Academy of Dance and the Crystal Lake Central High School Madrigals.

D47 Bell Choir

Crystal Lake Central High School Madrigals

Summers Academy of Dance Berkshire Ballet Theatre performs a portion of The Nutcracker

After the entertainment, Lieutenant Snyder ascended the podium. All eyes were on him as he delivered an inspirational, entertaining and poignant speech.

For a person whose degree was earned in Naval Architecture and who was stationed overseas diffusing bombs, Snyder has slipped nearly effortlessly into the motivational speaking platform.

As Snyder recalled the series of events leading up the loss of his vision, I people-watched from behind the lens. The 160 guests in attendance sat mesmerized, hanging on his every word.

His talk invited the audience to not only listen to his story, but to walk alongside him throughout his journey as he painted a vivid picture of what happened in the weeks after his injury --  the garish realization that his life forever would be altered, the life-changing normalcy found in swimming and the glorious joy of winning a gold medal for only himself, but for his country -- one year to the day that the detonation of an IED in Afghanistan left him completely blind.

In a speech overpowered by optimism, tinged with the agony of injury and covered in hope, there were sighs, gasps, tears and genuine smiles. But as Snyder closed, he reminded everyone that resilience isn’t always about bouncing back from a setback to the person you used to be. Resilience is dynamic. As humans, resilience means that we have stretched, we have grown, we have become a better version of ourselves – that we should keep striving for something more.

Snyder said his goal is to be the best blind person he can be. What are you striving for?

U.S. Navy Lieutenant and Paralympic gold-medal swimmer Brad Snyder.

Snyder's guide dog Gizzy remains by his side throughout his presentation.

Gizzy and Snyder

The YMCA staff posing with Snyder and Gizzy after an impressively successful first community breakfast.

Snyder meets with Oscar Mike founder Noah Currier. I've had the honor of photographing Currier in the past. Oscar Mike strives to keep military veterans alive and on the move. Learn about the Oscar Mike Foundation here: https://www.oscarmike.org/foundation/https://www.oscarmike.org/foundation/

Advent: Week One

This past Sunday began the first week of the liturgical season of Advent. I feel so richly blessed to have this time to prepare for the birth of Christ. I have had seasons where Advent is so busy and hectic that we haven’t felt spiritually ready for Christmas. I’ve had other years where we had an enormous amount of time to pour into preparation. In recent years, I have found more and more ways to manageably deepen our family’s understanding of preparing our hearts for Jesus' birth.

I would love to share a few of our Advent traditions with you.

My husband and I have had this Advent wreath since we were married. It is unique – something that I was looking for at that time in my life – and it is well-loved. It is a fixture on our kitchen table.

Every night, we light the appropriate candle(s) and read from one of Arnold Ytreeide’s books. If you haven’t read them, I highly recommend them for adults as well as children. There are four books whose characters intersect as they follow different paths leading up to the birth of Jesus. There is a reading for each day of Advent – if you miss the first couple of days of Advent, just buy (or borrow) the book, double up and read along with us. We are reading Bartholomew’s Passage this Advent.

We have several friends who are Jewish and these stories help us to talk about Jewish customs and traditions because three of the four main characters are Jewish.

We have used the Truth in the Tinsel program in the past, but this year we are going back to a traditional Jesse Tree. My girls drew and painted our tree, and this year we are using pre-printed ornaments to color as I read from the Bible.

My husband and I have had this nativity since our first Christmas – purchased at Ace Hardware, it is neither flashy, nor expensive, but it is dear to us. And when our youngest was born, we purchased this Fisher-Price nativity set. Jesus’s space remains empty and that is how I began teaching our children about preparing for Jesus’ birth – about waiting patiently and anticipating that joyous day.

My husband and I signed up to receive a free email program –The Best Advent Ever – through Dynamic Catholic. Matthew Kelly and Dr. Allen Hunt are putting out videos based on Dynamic Catholic’s new book, Beautiful Hope.  I received that book in the mail last week, and I devoured it in one night. I am excited to see how Kelly and Hunt present this message through their videos. You can sign up for them here, too.

We try to focus on ways that we can help others – baking cookies, dropping off something we know another family needs, making a phone call, reaching out to friends, choosing tags off the Giving Tree at church. But in little ways, my children like to make crafts for others, color or draw pictures and do things like shoveling a driveway for someone who needs it – things that might not cost anything at all, but that might make someone’s day a little lighter.

With Matthew Kelly’s focus this Advent being BeautifulHope, I hope to work as a family to do one thing that encourages hope each day – whether within our family or for others ~ and I encourage everyone to do the same. After all, Advent is a time of preparing our hearts for the birth of Christ – the Light of Christ.  Without Him, hopelessness quickly pervades our circumstances. So, be the light that brings hope as you go about your day – whether it is taking the time to look at your child and answer his question for the millionth time, making time to actually have a conversation with your spouse or smiling at the cashier during a hectic shopping trip.

Wishing you a very blessed Advent.