Hallo Blog Readers:
I have had many struggles in my life. The worst was the winter of '44-'45. I was a 14 and living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The western part of Holland where all the large cities were located were completely cut off from the rest of the country. We had no food, no fuel, little water, scant sanitary facilities and it was one of the coldest winters of record. I stood for hours in line, in freezing weather for a small pan of watery soup with a few carrots, onions and glassy potatoes that had been previously exposed to frost. I walked for hours outside the city into the countryside to beg for a crust of bread from the farms. We were saved from starvation by a kind neighbor who was cook in a hotel that housed German Army officers. This man shared a little food that he was allowed to take home. Eighteen thousand people died that winter, mostly babies, young children and the elderly. There were no men, they had been rounded up and shipped to Germany to work in the war factories; a very hazardous job. Finally when in April '45 a thousand people a day died from hunger, the German commander allowed the Allied Air Forces to drop food to the starving population.
Is it a wonder that I said that nothing in my life could be worse then that winter.
I might have been wrong. I suffered plenty more bad situations in my life, some death threatening. I had failed marriages, addiction to alcohol and drugs, financial and physical ruin. I wrote a book about that and more, Polynesian Dreams, a inspirational tale, because it chronicles my world travels, my struggles, often self inflicted and the fight to overcome and get my life back on the right track.
Now I am facing another struggle. I am in the winter of my life, fortunately enjoy robust health but before I close my blue eyes for the last time I would like to have my book read by as many folks as possible. Who among you who read this blog have also things in their life they wished they could get control over? My book describes how I overcame my bad behavior and addictions. The struggle now is how to get folks to order my book from the E-book sellers such as Kindle, WaveCloud, Kobo, Nook, Ebooks, Google Book and others. I will never stop promoting my book, just as I never ceased to fight my way back to health and happiness. At my age, I am financial independent and I do not need the my proceeds from my inspirational book and therefor am donating it to charities close to my heart, namely Animal Shelter and Wounded Warriors. Please take the time to read at least a few sample chapters on your tablet or lap top. If you enjoy my style, are curious about the rest, order the book from the e-book sellers. Thank you for reading my blog. Johan Van Oldenbarneveld.
The photo is from a RAF Lancaster bomber dropping food over drop zone in Holland.