A Child's Home
been destroyed. Adina had no way of knowing that he was on his way. When he heard that the Russians were coming, he let the prisoners go free and deserted his post. He made it in time to join his family as they left their home.
The Wollenberg's walked, day after day, eating food that other refuges were willing to share. Traute's store-bought shoes fell apart. The right sole became unglued and flapped with every step. Every mile took them farther away from their home. Burning cities illuminated the sky. The Wollenberg's hoped to make it to Danzig, more than a hundred miles away. They had to cross on frozen water to get to the beach leading to this port city. During their crossing, the ice broke under the weight of the wagons and horses. The adults carried the children to the beach, wading through waist deep water on top of the ice. They were lucky to make it alive to Danzig, where they lived in an abandoned apartment, one of the few not destroyed by bombs.
Traute's father entertained his children by reading stories from their Bible, the same Bible that Traute's mother made sure accompanied them on their journey. Traute longed for adventure. She would venture out of the apartment, roaming around bomb shelters and gathering small pieces of shrapnel to add to a collection she started
The Russians eventually invaded Danzig. All the refugees were lined up against a fence, one group chosen to be shipped to slave labor concentration camps in Siberia, another herded into snow-covered fields. After presenting their legal German papers, the Wollenberg's were allowed to go to Berlin. They stayed with a family east of Berlin, in an uninsulated cottage that had icicles hanging from the ceiling. Traute's older brothers made it to Canada through the auspices of the North American Baptists. Within a year, one of her brothers raised enough money cutting trees to pay the fare for the rest of the family to join them in Canada. Traute still lives there today, but she will always remember her childhood home.
The war destroyed her family's life in Braunsberg, leaving only memories of another time, another place. Traute cannot forget the horrors she witnessed, her family's journey, the pain in her feet as her shoes fell apart. To this day, she cannot stand by idly and witness the suffering of others. She has intervened on behalf of many in need, including a young refugee girl seeking asylum in Canada. And if you look in her closet, you will find only
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