Faith and Freedom

A Sound of Music Spin-off

By Emily Beraldo Published 4 years ago • 3 min read

18th February 1947

Dear Mother Abbess,

It is with a grateful heart that I am able to write you. If it weren’t for the help of you and the sisters in the Nonnberg Abbey we mightn’t have ever had such a beautiful life as this.

Georg and I have settled the family and we are very happy. We indulge in music every day. We are to have a child of our own in the summer and are very happy to bring even more joy to our family. Georg has settled in as a Captain here in the American Naval Forces and has been integral to the overthrowing of the terrible man who caused us to leave our beautiful home. Of this, he is immensely proud and we hope to one day return.

Liesl has met a lovely young Italian man, Mario. His family migrated here at the beginning of the war and run two restaurants. We have tried some new, interesting foods here. They enjoy tomatoes, garlic and red wine. Kurt is pleased that traditionally even children have a small taste of red wine with a meal. Liesl has two children, Alessandro, 7, and Rosa, 5. They are such little dears and I have taught them our morning hymns.

Friedrich is following his fathers footsteps and has of course joined the Naval services. He has a beautiful wife, Elizabeth, who is born and raised here in New York. Her family own a farm and now supply the tomatoes to Mario’s restaurants. They also grow apples and hand-rear geese and chickens. Friedrich has just been deployed on a mission and hopes to return before the marriage of his younger sister, Brigitta, to one of his fellow seamen, Jack. His wife has just announced their third pregnancy following Sam, 6, Jane, 5 and twins Harry and Paul, 2. They surely have their hands full and have called on a governess of their own.

Louisa is ahead of her time and is studying medicine here at Harvard. Her father fought for her to have a place as a female at the university and she is moving mountains with her tenacity and charm. She is engaged to a fellow medicine student, Hans who also escaped Hitler’s regime in 1938 with his parents. They are a force to be reckoned with and I look forward to seeing all they achieve.

Kurt was awarded a full football scholarship to Harvard where he is studying law. He plans to go into politics and change the world so that no-one ever has to uproot their life as we did those nine years ago. He reminisces with his soft heart about the times we sang and traversed through the hills of Salzburg.

Brigitta is to marry Jack in September. His father and grandfather before him were butchers. He has been running the business since he was 13 and his father and older brothers were sent to war. One of the brothers came back with severe deficits, leaving him to be cared for by his mother. His father came back without his right leg and the eldest brother was killed in action. It is a terrible tragedy what this family has endured but according to Jack’s mother, Cynthia, Brigitta brings sunshine into the house with her kindness and compassion.

Marta loves music more than life itself. She has lead the choir (and the Von-Trapp family singers) for a few years now and we are certain she will pave her way in music. She spends her days in our lush garden singing and composing with her fathers guitar.

Greta, as she always was, remains the apple of her fathers eye. He dotes upon her. Her shy demeanour has never changed. She is still the one who curls up beside me each evening after dinner as Georg and Marta serenade us with jovial, reminiscent lullabies.

Oh Mother Abbess, I find I no longer dream of the time I spent with you as I feel I am now living the dream God intended for me. Through him, I have brought love and laughter into this family just as my dear children deserve. I do wish we could have stayed in our house. The home in which we fell in love with the idea of our life with these children. Each day we are grateful to you and to God for our great fortune.