I've mentioned before how I have a number of adopted family members, including quite a few siblings. Joey is one of my adopted brothers. When my family lived in the Netherlands, he actually lived with us for a few months and became a part of the family. Joey is quite simply a force of nature. His love for life is so incredibly infectious, and he is an incredibly gifted musician. His vocals and piano playing can move me to tears... in fact when it came to picking music for my wedding last fall there was no question in my mind that Joey had to be a part of it. My husband had written a song for me, which we chose for me to walk down the aisle to and Joey (along with a couple of our other musician friends) created the most incredible instrumental version of it to play live... it was so amazing!
Recently I have been going through this serious musical nostalgic phase and listening to all kinds of stuff that I listened to as a teenie bopper... Joey was living with us during that time and so I've been thinking of him a lot. We used to have these awesome singing parties with each other, and he would crash my piano practice sessions and play all the pop songs while I'd sing with him. I decided it was as good a reason as any to send him some love and so I did. Just thinking about Joey makes me smile... I've shared so many huge life moments with him, and so many small life moments that add up to huge ones. He has had a really big influence on my life and how I try to live and how I try to carry myself, and I am so incredibly grateful for that influence and his friendship and love!
Showing posts with label Netherlands. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Netherlands. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Letter #60 - Herman
I am so blessed by my family. I had a wonderful upbringing and so many opportunities that most kids don't get. I lived the life of an expat and as a result I also got to meet a lot of family and friends I would have otherwise never had the chance to meet. While I *had* met Oome Herman prior to my family moving to Rotterdam, I wouldn't have gotten to know him nearly as well as we did having lived so much closer. Hetty & Herman are my dad's aunt and uncle, making them my great-aunt and great-uncle. And they are truly great. They took us under their wing from the second we stepped off that plane in Amsterdam, and my life wouldn't be the same without them in it. Last month I received news that Oome Herman is once again battling cancer. I was devastated. In 2008 I had the chance to bring my (then boyfriend) to Europe with me for a two week stay. During that time we spent a few days in Eindhoven with my dutch family. Oome Herman was ill then as well, and I really really struggled with seeing him that way. He wasn't up to leaving the house, which meant we spent way more time with my aunts and cousins, and only saw him a little bit. It was troubling to me, but at the same time I was so incredibly grateful to be able to sit with him and watch tv and snuggle. When we left, he promised that the following year he would be coming to visit for our wedding. I laughed and told him it might be more than a year and he assured me I was wrong. I wasn't, but it wasn't as far off as I had expected. Just 2 years later we were getting married, and Herman was too sick to come. Again I was devastated. I of course understood but was so sad that he was no longer able to travel, since I don't know when I'll have another chance to see him.
This week I sent him a letter in a card that I hope will make him laugh. I sent him some photos and a whole lot of love. He's having surgery this month and I just pray it helps, he's in a lot of pain which bothers me tremendously. I pray my next trip to the Netherlands won't be for his funeral but for another visit with him. He makes me laugh so much, I have never laughed until I cried more often than in his presence. He has so much love in his heart and I miss him so very much. Those reading this entry, I would appreciate prayers or good thoughts or positive energy... whatever your form of well wishing to him and his wife... that they may get some relief from these struggles.
This week I sent him a letter in a card that I hope will make him laugh. I sent him some photos and a whole lot of love. He's having surgery this month and I just pray it helps, he's in a lot of pain which bothers me tremendously. I pray my next trip to the Netherlands won't be for his funeral but for another visit with him. He makes me laugh so much, I have never laughed until I cried more often than in his presence. He has so much love in his heart and I miss him so very much. Those reading this entry, I would appreciate prayers or good thoughts or positive energy... whatever your form of well wishing to him and his wife... that they may get some relief from these struggles.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Letter #54 - Haitham
For someone who didn't get married until the age of 27 (not that I'm so ridiculously old!) I have had an awful lot of marriage proposals in my life. Not a single one came with a ring (including the one I accepted, come to think of it...!) and most weren't actually serious (many were from boys under the age of 7). My friend Haitham is responsible for many of those proposals. For most of them, he wasn't single at the time, so I chalked it up to him trying to make me feel good about myself. Others I chalked up to him being a hopeless flirt... one of the many things I love about him! Proposals aside, we developed a wonderful and love filled friendship. Over the years, Haitham has been much better at keeping in touch with me than I have with him. When my family returned to the Netherlands in 2006 to visit, he made time to take me out for an evening and catch up (and propose again...). We are now both happily married (not to each other) and he and his wife are expecting their first child.
I wanted to reconnect with him to share in his excitement and to remind him of how much he means to me, even if I'm not always good at returning his messages. As I wrote his letter, I was struck by the face that I have no concrete understanding of how he and I became friends in the first place. We met in high school, he's about 5 years older than me (which in high school is a HUGE age gap), we had no common classes, no real common friends, and yet we hung out at lunch and breaks nearly every day. We laughed A LOT together, and pondered human behaviour and human relationships.
I dearly wish I had the means to visit him once his baby is born, to meet his wife and child, to watch him glow as a father, to give him a hug and a kiss and to laugh with him again. Maybe someday that will happen... who knows, by then I may have a family of my own to introduce to his!
I wanted to reconnect with him to share in his excitement and to remind him of how much he means to me, even if I'm not always good at returning his messages. As I wrote his letter, I was struck by the face that I have no concrete understanding of how he and I became friends in the first place. We met in high school, he's about 5 years older than me (which in high school is a HUGE age gap), we had no common classes, no real common friends, and yet we hung out at lunch and breaks nearly every day. We laughed A LOT together, and pondered human behaviour and human relationships.
I dearly wish I had the means to visit him once his baby is born, to meet his wife and child, to watch him glow as a father, to give him a hug and a kiss and to laugh with him again. Maybe someday that will happen... who knows, by then I may have a family of my own to introduce to his!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Letter #27 - Sergio
Sergio was my grade four teacher. I do not remember the circumstances that made me want so desperately to be in his class, but I do remember the first day of school that year, going up to him so anxiously to see if I was in his class or not. I was elated when I found out my name was on his roster! Sergio was the teacher no one ever wanted to disappoint. One time we had a substitute, who we treated pretty poorly... and when Sergio returned he talked to us so quietly, and looked so sad... we were devastated. He didn't need to yell, he didn't need to threaten us with punishments, we just fessed up and apologised and truly felt awful. He was also the teacher who played guitar and would teach us these great songs like "In the Jungle" and "Lean On Me"
Grade four was the year my family discovered we would be moving to the Netherlands. During the spring, my parents left for two weeks for a go-see trip, and left me in Sergio's care the morning of their flight, crying my eyes out in the hallway. He sat out in the hall with me for a few minutes until I could get myself together, then gave me some individual things to work on so I would have some time to settle down before being expected to interact with the rest of my classmates.
As I mentioned when I began this blog, I come from a family of writers. When I was young my mum really encouraged me to write letters, especially when we moved to Rotterdam. I wrote to Sergio. He wrote back. We're still friends. In fact, Sergio & his wife attended my wedding last year (I was ecstatic).
Writing this letter to Sergio was a chance for me to express some thanks to him for being such an important part of my life. I also used it as a chance to send him a photo I had promised him months ago and haven't gotten around to sending yet. Writing to Sergio always brings on feelings of nostalgia and inspiration for me. When I thought I wanted to teach school, I knew I wanted to be like him in my teaching style. Being around Sergio makes me want to help and inspire others, which I am trying more and more to act on.
Grade four was the year my family discovered we would be moving to the Netherlands. During the spring, my parents left for two weeks for a go-see trip, and left me in Sergio's care the morning of their flight, crying my eyes out in the hallway. He sat out in the hall with me for a few minutes until I could get myself together, then gave me some individual things to work on so I would have some time to settle down before being expected to interact with the rest of my classmates.
As I mentioned when I began this blog, I come from a family of writers. When I was young my mum really encouraged me to write letters, especially when we moved to Rotterdam. I wrote to Sergio. He wrote back. We're still friends. In fact, Sergio & his wife attended my wedding last year (I was ecstatic).
Writing this letter to Sergio was a chance for me to express some thanks to him for being such an important part of my life. I also used it as a chance to send him a photo I had promised him months ago and haven't gotten around to sending yet. Writing to Sergio always brings on feelings of nostalgia and inspiration for me. When I thought I wanted to teach school, I knew I wanted to be like him in my teaching style. Being around Sergio makes me want to help and inspire others, which I am trying more and more to act on.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Letter #23 - Tante Mary
I have never really gotten to know my grandparents very well. Moving around has taken me geographically far from them most of my life, and now I only have one who is still living. As a result, I don't know them nearly as well as I would have liked. I've always envied my husband who had all four of his grandparents until he was in his twenties.
On the flip side, I have had the blessing of getting to know some of my great aunts and uncles very well. When my family lived in the Netherlands, I was able to meet a lot of my fathers' extended family. One of these is my Tante (Aunt) Mary. Her husband passed away before we moved there so I never got to meet him, but she is a wonderful wonderful lady. We spent so much time with her, shopping, sitting chatting, drinking tea, etc. When I was able to take my husband with me to Europe to meet some of my friends & family, we spent lots of time with Tante Mary. She introduced Austin to stamppot, which is why I now have to make it regularly for him :o)
My note to Tante Mary included some photos of the kittens - she's a critter freak too :o) Her dog Rocky is 15 years old and acts like a puppy still. Tante Mary isn't much of a writer, but I know she enjoys hearing from us. I usually hear from her at my birthday and at Christmas, and I hope that life will allow us to go back and visit at least one more time before she's no longer with us...!
On the flip side, I have had the blessing of getting to know some of my great aunts and uncles very well. When my family lived in the Netherlands, I was able to meet a lot of my fathers' extended family. One of these is my Tante (Aunt) Mary. Her husband passed away before we moved there so I never got to meet him, but she is a wonderful wonderful lady. We spent so much time with her, shopping, sitting chatting, drinking tea, etc. When I was able to take my husband with me to Europe to meet some of my friends & family, we spent lots of time with Tante Mary. She introduced Austin to stamppot, which is why I now have to make it regularly for him :o)
My note to Tante Mary included some photos of the kittens - she's a critter freak too :o) Her dog Rocky is 15 years old and acts like a puppy still. Tante Mary isn't much of a writer, but I know she enjoys hearing from us. I usually hear from her at my birthday and at Christmas, and I hope that life will allow us to go back and visit at least one more time before she's no longer with us...!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Letter #18 - Brenda
This week I have been feeling very homesick for Europe. I think this is in part because this project forces me to spend a lot of time thinking about the people in my life, which of course includes all of the people from that time in my life as well. I also have been chatting with a friend of mine who is soon to become an expat as she moves her family to Brazil, and that has had me very focused on my family's experiences. This brought me to Brenda for today's letter.
Brenda and her husband were expats living in Germany while my family was in the Netherlands. They were also church members, which is how our lives became intertwined. I was never excited to travel to Germany when we lived there. Partly because of my own cultural biases (I was living in one of the most devastated cities of WWII... those wounds haven't quite healed in most people), and partly because there were never any kids our age, usually a heavy concentration of older people who didn't speak much or any English, and it was BORING for my brother and I to be on those trips. Brenda and her husband gave us a reason to look forward to going there. When mom and dad would announce a trip to Germany, our first question was "are Brenda & Meredith going to be there?"
Writing to Brenda allowed me to remember many happy times spent with them, at camps, in their home, shopping at the American Stores on base where they worked... Mum and I were lucky enough to spend some time with them last year at our church's world conference, and so I was also able to reflect on those conversations. Brenda has a warm and inviting spirit. She is very motherly, and quite elegant. She is someone who will always make me feel at home, because we were lucky enough to share the incredible experience of living outside of our own culture and language, and learning to see the world in a whole new light. Granted we went through these experiences as two very different people in two very different places in our lives, but we still share the core of that experience, which is something I share with fewer and fewer people in my life as I've become more "geographically stable" as I like to call it.
Brenda and her husband were expats living in Germany while my family was in the Netherlands. They were also church members, which is how our lives became intertwined. I was never excited to travel to Germany when we lived there. Partly because of my own cultural biases (I was living in one of the most devastated cities of WWII... those wounds haven't quite healed in most people), and partly because there were never any kids our age, usually a heavy concentration of older people who didn't speak much or any English, and it was BORING for my brother and I to be on those trips. Brenda and her husband gave us a reason to look forward to going there. When mom and dad would announce a trip to Germany, our first question was "are Brenda & Meredith going to be there?"
Writing to Brenda allowed me to remember many happy times spent with them, at camps, in their home, shopping at the American Stores on base where they worked... Mum and I were lucky enough to spend some time with them last year at our church's world conference, and so I was also able to reflect on those conversations. Brenda has a warm and inviting spirit. She is very motherly, and quite elegant. She is someone who will always make me feel at home, because we were lucky enough to share the incredible experience of living outside of our own culture and language, and learning to see the world in a whole new light. Granted we went through these experiences as two very different people in two very different places in our lives, but we still share the core of that experience, which is something I share with fewer and fewer people in my life as I've become more "geographically stable" as I like to call it.
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