Thoughts...
As a child, you are so aware of your surroundings. Every detail. What the weather is like. Wet leaves under your feet. The pleasant smells of freshly cut grass. The warmth in the air. Excitement at going home. Knowing it's the weekend. Knowing some relations are coming for a visit. There is excitment, and no dragging my feet while heading the 1 and a half block home from Donwood school. And when I went to Calvin Christian, we usually got picked up by one of our parents.
I would remember when we got home, we immediately changed into our "play clothes," had a snack, and then we would get to it. We would start to do our own weekend chores, a day early, as we usually did it Saturday morning. And we didn't complain. We were more than happy as we were waiting for the company, that evening. They would be arriving later on that evening.
I would do my usual dusting, and wiping mirrors, and glass coffee table. I would polish the organ, and dust the bookshelf with a damp cloth. Then I would remove the garbage from the house. Then vacume the living room. Sweep the kitchen floor. Sometimes I would wash it, or maybe my sisters would do that. I would also clean the room that my brother and I lived in.
We would all have some supper, and pretty much we would be done. And then we would wait for the company.
As Mom and Dad were former missionaries, they were still involved in holding monthly prayer meetings with some wonderful and constant prayer warriers. So when missionaries came to Winnipeg, Mom and Dad were more than happy to have them stay with us. That was one thing I really admired about them. Their open door, their generosity, and their love for God. I loved meeting the missionaries as we got to talk to them about what was life like where they worked on the mission field. Some missonaries were single women June Dugiud, Wendy Fellowsky, Annegret Schalm , and single men like Stan Wismer. Even to this date, I wonder what ever happened to most of these people. Some I know of, but most, well I am sure they are still on the mission field.
We also had many relations come stay with us, especially from Alberta or Saskatchewan. And that was a lot of fun, to see Aunties and Uncles, and all our many cousins. For me, it was neat to take them to the park and kind of "show" them off, to our neighbors and playmates. If they came in the summer, we'd go to Kildonan Park and have a picnic there which was so much fun. Or we might go out to the country and visit Erna's farm. Erna was my Mom's cousin, and such a gregarious, outgoing, warmy, loving person. She passed away in June 2000 of cancer. She, to this day is still missed. She was truly a blessing in my life and I will never forget her. Her husband Phil Klassen, too passed away not too long ago. Her two children Phil and Anna-Marie live in Alberta. But we had so much fun at Erna's farm. We would play, and search out the entire farm, we go hunt the chicken's eggs which I loved to do, we'd pick berries or fruit or vegtables. We'd play with old boards and rocks and make shelters, and live in them for a few hours in make believe worlds. We would bounce down from these tall hay stacks in the huge barn, and laugh and giggle. After we would be so dirty, and we would be washed by hose weilding mothers, as well as carefully examined for wood ticks. Other memories include the lavish meals that were poured out on her table. Salad, and jello salad, and potates, and chicken, and gravy, and stuffing, and vegtables and bread and buns and lots of other stuff. Sometimes for dessert was Plumemouse(kind of like a Plum/Dates/Apricots all stewed together) and of course the wonderful Roll Kuchen with Watermelon, which was a Mennonite delicacy, with Roger's Golden Syrup. You could NOT forget the Syrup. We spent Easter, and Christmas, and Spring and Summer, and Thanksgiving out there. I got along great with my cousin Phil(technically my second cousin as him Mom Erna and my Mom Fern were cousins), and we spent about 110% together. I cannot even remember if we ever had an argument but if we ever did, I never recalled it. I also remember their family would come to Winnipeg and spend over night visits with us. That was fun. I kind of felt like that I was the CITY mouse, and he was the COUNTRY mouse, and so I got to show him what we did in the city. The saddest day was when we met them on the highway, I believe it was sometime in 1988, when they were moving to Alberta and so we went to meet them and say our goodbyes and there was tears all around. It in some way, felt like a death, because we experienced such a loss with them gone. It was so neat to have family that lived an hour away from Winnipeg(near La Broquerie, Mb) and visit them and now they were gone. How would we be able to go on living? But one does...and the joy of seeing them a year or two later, when under different circumstances, we headed to Swift Current to start a new life there, they came to visit us. How blessed it was to know them. And how blessed it is to have such wonderful memories of Erna and her farm!
Another set of relatives that came to visit us from Germany, was my Uncle Doyle, Auntie Lucille and their kids, Daniel, Denise, Damara and Derrick Klaassen. They were my Mom's brother and his family from Bibleschule Brake in Lemgo, Germany. Imagine a small 4 bedroom home which houses 7 people, and then houses an additional 6 people. There was now, for about a month, 13 of us. They were on furlough in every four years, and so it was a joy and pleasure to see them. Us kids were close to age with their kids. I always admired that they all played flute and recorder and were smart kids. Compared to them, I always felt under average but I kept those feelings hidden. With our family, Jeanne, Debbie and I would sing in harmony. One of my favorite and saddest memories when my Mom's father, Daniel Klaassen died. So at the funeral, at the viewing and at various relation homes, Jeanne and I sang GOTT IST DELIEBE(God is Love) which we learned. Which brought not only a tear to their eyes, but to ours. I always wish Grandpa Klaassen had lived longer, another 10 years or so, so I could have known him better. But at least I got to meet him in 1979, when our new mother took Jeanne and me on train to Swift Current.
posted by Cameron83 @ 10:23 PM
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