Parade

And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.
Gilbert K. Chesterton


When the soldiers came home from Vietnam, there were no parades, no celebrations. So they built the Vietnam Memorial for themselves.
William Westmoreland

The Nora Diary, Day 16

Parade of the
26th Division
Windy& cold.
Went to the Chunks for
dinner. Called on
Lillian for an hour.
Stayed home in the afternoon. May
came over about four. At six thirty
went to see "The Heart of Humanity"
at the Rex. Home at 9 o'clock.
Annette(her niece) walked for the first time.

On April 12th, Nora writes in her diary that she "found a letter from F.S.B. with the application for tickets for the Parade of the 26th." The tickets arrived on April 21st. The parade was a huge Boston event to welcome the troops of that Division home from WWI.

What Nora didn't know was that she may have seen my paternal grandfather, Clare E. Josselyn stride proudly by with his regiment, Co. K, 101st Infantry Division. He was marching with close relatives but without his older brother. Leon died in late September, 1918 after injuries sustained at the battle of St.Mihel. Nora could never imagine that Clare would become her future daughter Ellen's father-in law on an August day in 1946 soon after yet another terrible war.

For the Record.
This day came in cool and sunny, snow with a minor nor'easter on the way for tonight and tomorrow. Off to painting soon. I'm almost finished with my painting of Nora's future in-laws, in their '40s after a barn dance. Only Will would live to see Gordon and Nora as a married couple. Linnie died soon after the summer of that barn dance.