My name is Cassie and I have a story to tell! (Starter)

At the beginning of 2010 my mother received a letter from a gentleman by the name of Desmond Powers. At the time Desmond lived in Canada, and had been working on a personal essay which would later be posted to a Facebook blog, website blog and then shared over the internet. In specific, this essay was a personal account, a deeply illustrative narrative of his experience while serving as a volunteer in the Corps, in Northern China during World World II. The influence and relevance of Jazz music and Jazz musicians had in China during the war was impactful, and Desmond being the gregarious gentleman he was, becoming a great friend of my grandfather Earl, grandmother Deirdre and her brother Eddie, was passionate and resourceful enough to share his experience.

Desmond and my mother spent over a month corresponding, swapping pictures and sharing memories. In the end he had a beautifully written blog, and us, well honestly, a more in depth understanding of our family's past.

As for my grandmother, had she still been living she would have been 100 on April 24 of this year. I was merely two years of age when she passed, however as my mother will say she truly believes we would have been inseparable. Me a mysterious Pisces and her a passionate Aries, we share the gifts of outrageousness and humor while encompassing a natural gift for cooking a baking. It is my grandmother Deirdre (nickname Venus), who has influenced my writing project. And to my mother, who has spent countless days and nights helping me shape our narrative, at times having to answer the same questions a few times over, I dedicate this to her. As well as my my Uncle Earl who has been the collector of family pictures and keepsakes. To my uncle David and aunt Iris, I love you both dearly. I have left a few links to help you find Desmond's original essay

You can find it using the following link (http://shanghaisojourns.net) Or http://blackpast.org or blackfacts.com. ) . My Grandmother and Grandfather are also mentioned in Marguerite Chien Church's Adopted the Chinese Way.

And now this is our story of "When East Met West"