In 1946, my war bride grandma, Olive Herity, and my aunt, Mary Ann, boarded a ship in England and headed to Halifax, Nova Scotia to start a new life in Canada. My grandma was given a trunk to fill. She could only bring enough to fit in that one trunk.  

I imagine my grandma leaving behind wedding gifts and telling her young daughter she could only bring two special toys. I imagine her dragging that big trunk on to the ship. I see her sitting on that ship with her daughter on her lap looking out the window. Was she scared? Was she excited for a new life? My grandma made that courageous journey across the ocean to join my grandpa in Edmonton, Alberta and then moved to Biggar, Saskatchewan to raise their family.

The stories from the war amaze and humble me. My grandfather, John Davis Herity, served with the 8th Canadian Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Army from December 30, 1944 to November 25, 1945. I remember my grandfather telling me that as proud as he was to serve our country, it was hard to go off to war and leave his family. I wonder how difficult it was for my grandma to leave her family in England and move to Canada to be with my grandpa. She never liked to talk about that time in her life.

Last week, my aunt received a text from a friend visiting an antique shop in Saskatchewan; he had discovered a trunk with my aunt’s maiden name and sent her a picture.  It was the trunk that they had brought with them some 70 years ago. My aunt now owns the trunk that held the most precious memories of her childhood.

As I look around and survey my “things” I wonder, what would I bring?  Albums? DVDS? Flashdrives? What would it be like to have to put all that I love into one trunk?

In this month of remembrance, let’s remember and revere our war veterans who fought for us and those who traveled with their trunk to meet them after.  They gave us the blessed lives we have now.