Destiny of my Heart!
By Sharon Holtz
Chapter Thirty
_____________________________________________
Catherine listened to this astonishing news and expounded,
“That is amazing...”
She then informatively noted, “…you know Mr. Heibel told
me there were actually 4 replicas of this snow globe altogether,
and according to his research, the other two are in The Jacob
Holmes museum back in England.”
To which Jacob confirmed, “Mr. Heibel is correct…the village
did turn my uncles cottage home into a small museum, which
showcases all of his art work.”
Wondering if his Father ever visited the museum in his uncle’s
honor, Devin asked, “Did you ever go check it out?”
Jacob said no he hadn’t, he was here developing the tunnels by
then, and never had the chance.
Pascal thinking this uncle sounded like a pretty interesting
character, asked, “Did you ever meet him?”
To which Jacob answered, “Only a few times when I was very
young.”
He then went on to tell, “You see we rarely visited him, only
because Mother said it made him too anxious and nervous…I
remember Mother had told me, as my uncle grew up, he was quite
the typical young man…but later, he became eccentric and
estranged. Mother claimed it was because of his broken heart that
he became a loner, and a recluse later in life.”
With interest Mary asked, “A broken heart?”
To which Jacob explained, “Yes, you see as the story goes, he
had fallen in love with an American woman who happened to be
vacationing in Europe with her sister, well…then the war broke
out and they were separated. It was after Uncle faithfully served
his country for several years, he was able to track her down to her
home here in America. Sadly by this time she had some terminal
illness, and had grown gravely ill. Uncle was so devastated when
she died…that he lived out the rest of his life alone honing his
artistic skills. His art was all he had…”
Jacob remembering he had a picture of his uncle, eagerly
mentioned, “I do have a photograph my mother had of Uncle
Jacob with that woman…ah yes it’s in that album, or journal you
got for me earlier Mouse, I left it on the table…would you mind?”
As Mouse happily went to get it…he then handed Jacob the
album, and after Jacob said thank you, he began to leaf through
the pages, saying, “Let’s see…that picture is here somewhere…”
And as Jacob continued his search, Mouse noted, “Good thing I
got your album for you earlier from your chamber uh Father?”
Looking up momentarily to acknowledge Mouse, Jacob
continued looking through the pages as he agreed, saying,
“Indeed, yes Mouse you are right…very convenient… ah…here it
is. Here is uncle with his lady.”
As Catherine looked at the picture, she sorrowfully remarked,
“Look at them, they look so happy.”
To which Jacob concurred, “Mother said they were
happy…and she was certain they would have married that winter
if not for the war, but then of course…as we do know…a happy
ending would not have been guaranteed them, as she did become
ill…”
Jacob then continued, “At any rate, he came here to find her,
and he stayed with her until she died.”
With sorrow, Catherine said, “How sad he found her in time
only to lose her again.”
With that Vincent softly replied, “Ahh, but he did find
her…they at least had a moment...”
Catherine looked back at Vincent, and with a nod, she
acknowledged his view, and said, “Yes…we must remember to be
thankful if all we are given are mere moments in this lifetime…”
It was silent as everyone reflected on this tragic story, and
thought of how what Catherine and Vincent said was
true….
Mary then looked back upon the photograph, and she
questioned, “So then your Uncle returned home to England?”
After Jacob said that was correct, Mary also asked, “Was that
your Uncle’s home behind them in this photo?”
To which Jacob sighed, “Yes that was his home, the cottage
they turned into the museum.”
Vincent, looked back at the photo along with them, and
noticed something astounding, and so he revealed, “It appears as if
he fashioned the snow globe’s cottage to mirror his own…”
In Reply, Jacob expounded, “Undeniably, they are identical!
Well now…Hmm…all the years of looking at your snow globe
Vincent…I never put that together before, but realize…I had only
been there to Uncle’s a few times as a very young boy…”
As the thought occurred to Jacob that he still needed to
convince any nay sayers that his uncle was definitely the artisan
who constructed the snow globe, Jacob declared, “There you
see…the matching cottages! There is some hard evidence to prove
that my uncle made this snow globe.”
After everyone had a turn to compare the snow globe’s cottage
to the cottage in the photo, they all agreed they were the same!
And finally Mary said, “Yes Father, I would say this photo
definitely erases any and all doubt that your Uncle WAS the
maker of this globe!”
Jacob did a double take looking back at Mary, and slyly
thought to himself, “I knew it! Mary did have doubts!”
Devin shared a smile with Vincent as they both caught Father’
s suspicious look he was giving Mary, and then Devin looked back
at the photo and made mention, “Its pretty interesting Great-Uncle
Jacob used his home as a model uh?”
Looking down at the photo once more, Vincent thoughtfully
suggested, “Perhaps he wanted to commemorate the place where
he was most happy in this art piece.”
Jacob agreeing said, “Perhaps so…”
It was then Devin noticed the writing on the back of the photo
and asked, “What does the script say on the back Father?”
“Script you say?” Jacob then turned the photo over, and
slipping his glasses down his nose to better read his mother’s
writing on the back, he read aloud, “1939, Jacob and Sarah…”
Jacob then winced as he tried to read Sarah’s last name, and
finally he said, “Let’s see in parenthesis it says (Lloyd).”
As Catherine digested this information, she looked about the
group before she expounded, “You are not going to believe this…”
To which Mary eagerly asked, “Believe what?”
But Vincent upon seeing Catherine’s ashen expression,
worriedly asked, “Are you all right Catherine?”
As Catherine gathered her thoughts, she looked up at Vincent
to assure him she was all right, and she then relayed, “I had a
Great-Aunt by that name!”
Dazedly, Catherine recalled, “My Great-grandmother told
stories of how she and her sister Sarah happened to be visiting
England in 1939, when Great Britain declared war on Germany…”
Catherine then looked closer at the picture, and thinking about
the coincidences already surrounding this snow globe, thought this
revelation was too much!
But then Catherine numbly questioned, “Can this woman be
my great-aunt?”
To which Jacob dreamily commented on this twist of fate as
well, asked, “You say they were visiting in 1939…hmmm, this
was the year my Uncle went to war.”
Snapping back to the facts, Jacob asked, “What all do you
know about your great-aunt? Do you know if this looks like her?”
Looking up at Jacob, and then back at the photo, Catherine
replied, “I am sorry, I never saw pictures of her as a young
woman, only as a little girl in formal family portraits with my
Great-grandmother.”
But then Catherine did recall, “I do remember Great-
grandmother, said her sister never married, and died in her 20’s.”
Upon hearing this information, Devin surmised, “Hmm,
sounds as if we can assume the woman in the picture is your great-
aunt Catherine. I mean if she also died young…what are the
odds?”
Mary thinking Devin was right, curiously asked, “I wonder
what your great-aunt died of, this could be proof if it was her or
not.”
In reply to Mary, Catherine sorrowfully explained, “My Great-
Grandmother always looked so sad when ever she spoke of her
younger sister, I guess I never asked. My Dad most likely would
know though.”
To which Mary explained, “I only met if it was an illness or an
accident dear. If she died of an accident, then it probably is not
your great-aunt.”
Confirming what she knew, Catherine said, “Oh I see what
you mean, well I do know it was an illness, I just don’t know what
sort.”
Jacob then said, “I suppose, we can most likely assume the
woman in the photograph is Catherine’s Great-Aunt!”
Catherine accepting this most likely was the case, she then
pondered, “Getting back to the snow globes, I can’t help but
wonder how it was my Great-grandmother had two of them to give
to me...”
Jacob looked thoughtful as he also pondered this happenstance
along with Catherine, and he then cleared his throat as he replied,
“Ahh yes, and now to solve the mystery of how your great-
grandmother had two in her possession! Well, how it actually
happened, who can say, but my guess is that my Uncle must have
made the globes, to give Sarah as a gift, and your Great-
grandmother would have naturally acquired them when her sister
died.”
Everyone stood silent as they thought about all this they had
just learned, and although there wasn’t any ancestors around this
night to verify these events, they all felt fairly certain Jacob’s
scenario was quite feasible and was probably how it did happen.
As Vincent turned the key once more to play the beautiful
tune, he thought about all the ties that bound these two families
via this snow globe, and it was he who gave everyone the most to
think about as he thoughtfully said, “Someway…somehow,
through us and the magic of this snow globe, the love in their
hearts found a way to reach out to each other once more….and
we here are all fortunate to have given witness.”
Catherine looked up at Vincent and he back at her, both
understanding the power of such a love…overcoming time, space
and dominions.
It was after a moment or two of stunned silence, when Jacob
noted, “Well, this has been most enlightening…and I would like to
speak more about these astounding events another time, however
for now…I better mingle a bit…and perhaps we all should uh? We
don’t wish to be rude to the others.”
As everyone from this session blended in with the rest of the
community, they took with them something very special, and it
would be a feeling which would stay with them for a very long,
long time.
Just as Catherine was about to approach Rose the florist,
Vincent took her hand, and said, “Come with me Catherine…I
have a Christmas gift for you…”
To be continued
Chapter Thirty-One
: }
By Sharon Holtz
Chapter Thirty
_____________________________________________
Catherine listened to this astonishing news and expounded,
“That is amazing...”
She then informatively noted, “…you know Mr. Heibel told
me there were actually 4 replicas of this snow globe altogether,
and according to his research, the other two are in The Jacob
Holmes museum back in England.”
To which Jacob confirmed, “Mr. Heibel is correct…the village
did turn my uncles cottage home into a small museum, which
showcases all of his art work.”
Wondering if his Father ever visited the museum in his uncle’s
honor, Devin asked, “Did you ever go check it out?”
Jacob said no he hadn’t, he was here developing the tunnels by
then, and never had the chance.
Pascal thinking this uncle sounded like a pretty interesting
character, asked, “Did you ever meet him?”
To which Jacob answered, “Only a few times when I was very
young.”
He then went on to tell, “You see we rarely visited him, only
because Mother said it made him too anxious and nervous…I
remember Mother had told me, as my uncle grew up, he was quite
the typical young man…but later, he became eccentric and
estranged. Mother claimed it was because of his broken heart that
he became a loner, and a recluse later in life.”
With interest Mary asked, “A broken heart?”
To which Jacob explained, “Yes, you see as the story goes, he
had fallen in love with an American woman who happened to be
vacationing in Europe with her sister, well…then the war broke
out and they were separated. It was after Uncle faithfully served
his country for several years, he was able to track her down to her
home here in America. Sadly by this time she had some terminal
illness, and had grown gravely ill. Uncle was so devastated when
she died…that he lived out the rest of his life alone honing his
artistic skills. His art was all he had…”
Jacob remembering he had a picture of his uncle, eagerly
mentioned, “I do have a photograph my mother had of Uncle
Jacob with that woman…ah yes it’s in that album, or journal you
got for me earlier Mouse, I left it on the table…would you mind?”
As Mouse happily went to get it…he then handed Jacob the
album, and after Jacob said thank you, he began to leaf through
the pages, saying, “Let’s see…that picture is here somewhere…”
And as Jacob continued his search, Mouse noted, “Good thing I
got your album for you earlier from your chamber uh Father?”
Looking up momentarily to acknowledge Mouse, Jacob
continued looking through the pages as he agreed, saying,
“Indeed, yes Mouse you are right…very convenient… ah…here it
is. Here is uncle with his lady.”
As Catherine looked at the picture, she sorrowfully remarked,
“Look at them, they look so happy.”
To which Jacob concurred, “Mother said they were
happy…and she was certain they would have married that winter
if not for the war, but then of course…as we do know…a happy
ending would not have been guaranteed them, as she did become
ill…”
Jacob then continued, “At any rate, he came here to find her,
and he stayed with her until she died.”
With sorrow, Catherine said, “How sad he found her in time
only to lose her again.”
With that Vincent softly replied, “Ahh, but he did find
her…they at least had a moment...”
Catherine looked back at Vincent, and with a nod, she
acknowledged his view, and said, “Yes…we must remember to be
thankful if all we are given are mere moments in this lifetime…”
It was silent as everyone reflected on this tragic story, and
thought of how what Catherine and Vincent said was
true….
Mary then looked back upon the photograph, and she
questioned, “So then your Uncle returned home to England?”
After Jacob said that was correct, Mary also asked, “Was that
your Uncle’s home behind them in this photo?”
To which Jacob sighed, “Yes that was his home, the cottage
they turned into the museum.”
Vincent, looked back at the photo along with them, and
noticed something astounding, and so he revealed, “It appears as if
he fashioned the snow globe’s cottage to mirror his own…”
In Reply, Jacob expounded, “Undeniably, they are identical!
Well now…Hmm…all the years of looking at your snow globe
Vincent…I never put that together before, but realize…I had only
been there to Uncle’s a few times as a very young boy…”
As the thought occurred to Jacob that he still needed to
convince any nay sayers that his uncle was definitely the artisan
who constructed the snow globe, Jacob declared, “There you
see…the matching cottages! There is some hard evidence to prove
that my uncle made this snow globe.”
After everyone had a turn to compare the snow globe’s cottage
to the cottage in the photo, they all agreed they were the same!
And finally Mary said, “Yes Father, I would say this photo
definitely erases any and all doubt that your Uncle WAS the
maker of this globe!”
Jacob did a double take looking back at Mary, and slyly
thought to himself, “I knew it! Mary did have doubts!”
Devin shared a smile with Vincent as they both caught Father’
s suspicious look he was giving Mary, and then Devin looked back
at the photo and made mention, “Its pretty interesting Great-Uncle
Jacob used his home as a model uh?”
Looking down at the photo once more, Vincent thoughtfully
suggested, “Perhaps he wanted to commemorate the place where
he was most happy in this art piece.”
Jacob agreeing said, “Perhaps so…”
It was then Devin noticed the writing on the back of the photo
and asked, “What does the script say on the back Father?”
“Script you say?” Jacob then turned the photo over, and
slipping his glasses down his nose to better read his mother’s
writing on the back, he read aloud, “1939, Jacob and Sarah…”
Jacob then winced as he tried to read Sarah’s last name, and
finally he said, “Let’s see in parenthesis it says (Lloyd).”
As Catherine digested this information, she looked about the
group before she expounded, “You are not going to believe this…”
To which Mary eagerly asked, “Believe what?”
But Vincent upon seeing Catherine’s ashen expression,
worriedly asked, “Are you all right Catherine?”
As Catherine gathered her thoughts, she looked up at Vincent
to assure him she was all right, and she then relayed, “I had a
Great-Aunt by that name!”
Dazedly, Catherine recalled, “My Great-grandmother told
stories of how she and her sister Sarah happened to be visiting
England in 1939, when Great Britain declared war on Germany…”
Catherine then looked closer at the picture, and thinking about
the coincidences already surrounding this snow globe, thought this
revelation was too much!
But then Catherine numbly questioned, “Can this woman be
my great-aunt?”
To which Jacob dreamily commented on this twist of fate as
well, asked, “You say they were visiting in 1939…hmmm, this
was the year my Uncle went to war.”
Snapping back to the facts, Jacob asked, “What all do you
know about your great-aunt? Do you know if this looks like her?”
Looking up at Jacob, and then back at the photo, Catherine
replied, “I am sorry, I never saw pictures of her as a young
woman, only as a little girl in formal family portraits with my
Great-grandmother.”
But then Catherine did recall, “I do remember Great-
grandmother, said her sister never married, and died in her 20’s.”
Upon hearing this information, Devin surmised, “Hmm,
sounds as if we can assume the woman in the picture is your great-
aunt Catherine. I mean if she also died young…what are the
odds?”
Mary thinking Devin was right, curiously asked, “I wonder
what your great-aunt died of, this could be proof if it was her or
not.”
In reply to Mary, Catherine sorrowfully explained, “My Great-
Grandmother always looked so sad when ever she spoke of her
younger sister, I guess I never asked. My Dad most likely would
know though.”
To which Mary explained, “I only met if it was an illness or an
accident dear. If she died of an accident, then it probably is not
your great-aunt.”
Confirming what she knew, Catherine said, “Oh I see what
you mean, well I do know it was an illness, I just don’t know what
sort.”
Jacob then said, “I suppose, we can most likely assume the
woman in the photograph is Catherine’s Great-Aunt!”
Catherine accepting this most likely was the case, she then
pondered, “Getting back to the snow globes, I can’t help but
wonder how it was my Great-grandmother had two of them to give
to me...”
Jacob looked thoughtful as he also pondered this happenstance
along with Catherine, and he then cleared his throat as he replied,
“Ahh yes, and now to solve the mystery of how your great-
grandmother had two in her possession! Well, how it actually
happened, who can say, but my guess is that my Uncle must have
made the globes, to give Sarah as a gift, and your Great-
grandmother would have naturally acquired them when her sister
died.”
Everyone stood silent as they thought about all this they had
just learned, and although there wasn’t any ancestors around this
night to verify these events, they all felt fairly certain Jacob’s
scenario was quite feasible and was probably how it did happen.
As Vincent turned the key once more to play the beautiful
tune, he thought about all the ties that bound these two families
via this snow globe, and it was he who gave everyone the most to
think about as he thoughtfully said, “Someway…somehow,
through us and the magic of this snow globe, the love in their
hearts found a way to reach out to each other once more….and
we here are all fortunate to have given witness.”
Catherine looked up at Vincent and he back at her, both
understanding the power of such a love…overcoming time, space
and dominions.
It was after a moment or two of stunned silence, when Jacob
noted, “Well, this has been most enlightening…and I would like to
speak more about these astounding events another time, however
for now…I better mingle a bit…and perhaps we all should uh? We
don’t wish to be rude to the others.”
As everyone from this session blended in with the rest of the
community, they took with them something very special, and it
would be a feeling which would stay with them for a very long,
long time.
Just as Catherine was about to approach Rose the florist,
Vincent took her hand, and said, “Come with me Catherine…I
have a Christmas gift for you…”
To be continued
Chapter Thirty-One
: }
