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Although today’s card is addressed to Nathan Firestone, it is written from Helene in Vienna to her son Harry in San Francisco. 

Vienna 11 November 1939

My dear Harry boy! “Waiting” has become our profession since your departure. We fall asleep in the hope of getting mail the next morning, but until today we have only gotten the two telegrams from the USA. But we are not worried. We know that you are so well housed, but we would also like to know if you have gotten used to being there yet. You have seen and experienced so many new and wonderful things, and that makes me happy. We are healthy.

Please make excuses for me with the relatives, because I haven’t written to them yet because it wasn’t possible. I hope you get this card and believe me that no hour goes by in which I do not think of you. 

Kiss, my little Harry, many kisses.

Today’s card was the first that Harry received from his mother after he and Eva arrived in San Francisco a few weeks earlier. We learned about Eva’s and Harry’s trip to the U.S. in the October 9 post. Upon arrival in San Francisco, Harry went to live with Helene’s cousin Hilda Firestone (technically, her first cousin once removed) and her husband Nathan. Eva lived with another cousin, Bertha Schiller and her husband George.

I wrote about finding my grandmother’s letters from Vienna elsewhere on this site. From November 1939 to October 1941, Helene wrote more than 130 letters to her family in San Francisco. I have about 100 of them. Some of the others may never have made it to their destination; some may have gotten lost along the way. As she wrote this first letter to her children, she had no idea they would be separated for years or that the family would never be totally reunited again.