The Secret of Sanssouci

Grandma had a secret, one she didn’t want to keep because it was so special. She wanted to share it with her family. The problem was, she didn’t know whether she imagined things, or maybe was a bit senile. She refused to believe that. She was only seventy-five. In the previous five summers when she visited Sanssouci, she saw images from the past so vivid that she thought she could touch them— sparkling clear images. She believed what she saw was real. However, when she arrived back home in San Diego, her special power disappeared. She felt alone again and sad. She wanted to go back to Sanssouci to experience this wonder again, and discover the mystery of the park. She wondered whether others in her family had similar experiences—could see what she could see. Or, did only she possess this power? Grandma loved seeing the past again and feeling now what she had felt many years earlier. It soothed her. Over time, feelings change. Hurt vanishes and good feelings prevail. Sometimes Grandma even saw glimpses of the future, happy ones. She thought and thought, until she knew what she would do. She’d invite her granddaughter, Christina, to travel with her and spend the summer in Potsdam, where the park of Sanssouci was and two of her daughters lived.

The Secret of Sanssouci is a fantasy story. Joan Creech Kraft is an artist who writes short stories for the oil paintings she creates. It has taken Joan five years to complete the oil paintings for The Secret of Sanssouci. Grandma had a secret, one she didn’t want to keep because it was so special. She wanted to share it with her family. The problem was, she didn’t know whether she imagined things, or maybe was a bit senile. She refused to believe that. She was only seventy-five. In the previous five summers when she visited Sanssouci, she saw images from the past so vivid that she thought she could touch them— sparkling clear images. She believed what she saw was real. However, when she arrived back home in San Diego, her special power disappeared. She felt alone again and sad. She wanted to go back to Sanssouci to experience this wonder again, and discover the mystery of the park. She wondered whether others in her family had similar experiences—could see what she could see. Or, did only she possess this power? Grandma loved seeing the past again and feeling now what she had felt many years earlier. It soothed her. Over time, feelings change. Hurt vanishes and good feelings prevail. Sometimes Grandma even saw glimpses of the future, happy ones. She thought and thought, until she knew what she would do. She’d invite her granddaughter, Christina, to travel with her and spend the summer in Potsdam, where the park of Sanssouci was and two of her daughters lived.

Joan Creech Kraft lives in San Diego enjoying her retirement, swimming and practicing yoga everyday. She has become a globe-trotting grandmother visiting her children in Berlin, Geneva and Santa Fe regularly. She is an artist who writes short stories for the oil paintings she creates. It has taken Joan five years to complete the oil paintings for The Secret of Sanssouci. Joan has also recently written her memoir, Untwined. Joan Creech Kraft completed her BS in nursing at the University of Pennsylvania. After graduation, she moved to Berlin, Germany to study biology. She raised her daughters Andrea, Jennifer, and Katinka in Berlin. Joan was awarded her MS in 1973 and PhD in 1977. She returned to the States to work as a research scientist at the University of Washington from 1990 until 1997. From 2002-2008, Joan worked as school nurse for San Diego City Schools and presently as substitute teacher and trail guide for Mission Trails Regional Park and the Audubon Society. She studied oil painting with Andrea Rushing and has been painting since 1997.