Heritage: The Gals with whom I Grew Up

I composed this a while back, but never published it. Enjoy!




I love my mom! I love my sister! Here are a few pictures of us from long ago. :o) I was absolutely thrilled to have a sister after three brothers! I carried her around and kissed her all the time. In fact, I kissed her so much, that Mom would say, "Stop making that noise! You sound like a cow pulling its foot out of the mud!" I guess I'm just inclined that way, since I kiss my babies a lot too.

Happy 40th Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Today my parents celebrate forty years of marriage. Wow. I am so thankful to have parents that are married to each other and have stuck together through thick and thin! This is truly an unusual privilege and blessing in today's society, even though it should be the norm. Here are some pictures of our family through the years. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for a godly heritage.

Family reunion (you've seen this one before)

Getting ready for a trip in one of our faithful Suburbans (with a gal from church)

In Canada at the home of one of Dad's aunties

Preparing to leave for our trip to Yellowstone (we used Grandma and Grandpa's pop-up camper, which you can see behind Dad, and another Suburban)

Soon after our family moved to Greenville (Joy and I are both wearing dresses Mom made)

At Paris Mountain

My graduation from Bob Jones University

Family portrait

First picture with all the "out-laws"

Including most of the grandkids

I love you, Mom and Dad! Please accept this virtual hug. . .

Heritage: Scripture

I talked to a lady last night who used to be LDS, and her husband is LDS. In talking about her children, she mentioned that she hopes they come to the right place. I asked her what that place would be. She didn't seem to know.

I am so thankful for a sure point of reference outside of myself. Scripture! I don't have to "find out" what is right, other than to search for it in God's Word. I don't have to depend on my own opinion, I can find God's truth.

I am so thankful that my parents passed this truth on to me, and I am striving to pass it on to my own children.

Heritage: Sewing

My mom sewed a lot for me when I was a little girl. And she had the foresight to save some of the dresses in case I had a little girl. Here is a picture of me (with my brother Steve) in the mushroom dress and then a picture of Elizabeth in it.

Heritage: Family Reunion

When I was about eleven years old, we had a family reunion. Grandpa and Grandma M lived on the farm with us, and the H grandparents travelled to be with us. We all wore gingham shirts, as you can see in the first picture. My dad's folks are standing behind him, and Mom's behind her.



We went on a hayride!! Some neighbors had these horses and wagon and we had a ball. That's me standing on the wagon.

A few years later we did it again, this time we took our hayride behind our John Deere tractor! You can see our faithful dog Snoopy resting beside the trailer. (Dad still has the trailer, which is now painted a more dignified black.)

Samuel asked about "generations" in the car the other day. It's funny to think that right now we are one full generation removed from these pictures. Only one of my grandparents is still living. How thankful I am for my godly parents and my husband's godly parents. The Lord has graciously given me a godly husband. May God give us grace to rear the next generation for Him.

Finally, here is a picture of me with my great-grandfather, Jesse M. His son, my grandfather, was reading with Elizabeth while we were up in Michigan, but I missed the photo op. I hope I get another opportunity.



The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.
Psalm 16:6

Scheveningen

My heritage is Dutch. As a friend of our family used to say,

"If yer not Dutch, yer not much!"

Of course I don't really feel this way, but I guess all nationalities should say these things, right? So when I saw the book Knitting from the Netherlands: Traditional Dutch Fishermen's Sweaters by Henriette van der Klift-Tellegen (I just had to include her name!), I snatched it up!

Ladies would knit these sweaters for their fisher-men, using patterns unique to their villages. So when these men would go to various ports, people could recognize their hometown from their sweater patterns. The patterns were also sometimes used to identify the bodies of dead fishers. Here's another neat tidbit:

As soon as a girl gave her 'yes' to a fisherman and the wedding date was set, she would begin a sweater for him. This special sweater had to be completed prior to the wedding day so she could give it to him as a present. She knitted into the sweater long hairs which she pulled from her head. This not only strengthened the yarn, but resulted in a very personal and romantic garment through which she bound herself closely to her man.

In talking to my mother, I discovered that my ancestors came from the village of Scheveningen, (make that sound in your throat with the Sch) and there is a pattern in the book for this village! It has cables on the top half, then plain stockinette on the bottom half and plain sleeves. I am so excited!!! I mean, my great- great- great- etc. grand-father probably wore one of these sweaters! It makes me want to knit one in the worst way, but who would wear it? I guess I could make one for Samuel. . .


Maybe this should be another post, but my sister asked me for this Nacho Dip recipe, so I'll just post it here for your enjoyment. It's from Mrs. Becky R, our youth pastor's wife.

Nacho Dip

2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 blocks Velveeta
8 oz. salsa/picante/enchilada sauce
2 lb. ground beef, browned

Combine in crock pot on high until heated through, then on low until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips. Serves 20.

I used this when our family hosted the teen fellowship Easter Sunday and the kids loved it. We're still eating the leftovers!


One more item: Thank you for praying for my mom's friend Amy. The doctors at Mayo made a diagnosis and she has begun treatment.


Have a happy day!

Heritage: My Siblings

Here are two of the earliest pictures of my siblings and me all together. There are five of us children: me ('72), Steve ('75), Joseph ('76), Ben ('79) and Joy ('81). I'll leave it at that for now, but I am so blessed.

Pleasant lines:

> a large family
> we are friends
> all of my siblings love the Lord and desire to serve Him


The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yeah, I have a goodly heritage.
Psalm 16:6

Heritage: My Dad and Mom

My dad and mom met in 1969 in the back of an ambulance. Let me explain. Mom was a nurse, and a patient needed to be transported to another hospital. Dad was a medical school student, and worked at the funeral home/ambulance service. He and his partner took the night time calls. So they got the call. When Dad saw Mom's red hair, he suggested that his partner drive, and he would ride in the back with the patient. :o)

The rest, as they say, is history. They were married on August first, 1970.


Pleasant lines:
> Their love for the Lord and dedication to His work and His workers have been an example for me to follow.
> Their steadfast love for each other has given my siblings and me a secure foundation for life.
> I am so thankful for their willingness over the years to take unpopular stands on hard issues.
> Their loving, firm, consistent discipline set me on the right course of respect, obedience, and self-discipline.
> Their willingness to try new things has cultivated in me curiosity and an eagerness to learn and do new things.
> ETC.!

Thanks, Dad and Mom!


The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yea, I have a goodly heritage.
Psalm 16:6

Heritage: My Mom and her Family

Here is my mom's family. She has two older brothers: Harold and Adrian. Mom doesn't have a middle name. Grandpa says they couldn't afford it. :o) You can't see it in the picture, but Mom and Harold are both redheads. Harold married a redhead and they have two redheaded sons and four grandchildren. Adrian has two sons and one granddaughter. He was a cropduster (pilots who fly over crops and dust them with pesticide) and was killed in 1976 while working.

Here is my mom's third grade picture. Mom also took music lessons: piano and then organ. She played the organ for a cantata at church when she was just a teenager. She is also a nurse.

Pleasant lines:
Mom's love for music
God's grace in saving my mom at a young age

The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yea, I have a goodly heritage.
Psalm 16:6

Heritage: My Dad and his Family

Here is my dad's family. He was born when his sister Eleanor was sixteen and his brother John was twelve. Eleanor has six children, thirteen grandchildren and seven great-grands. Eleanor has chosen not to follow the God of her father, and most of her family has followed in her footsteps. John was killed in a peace-time accident while in Germany with the Air Force.

Here is Dad's first grade picture. If you know him I'm sure you recognize him. He's one of those people that have "their look" from childhood. He took eleven years of piano lessons and loves to sing as well. He was saved after a church service in which his father preached and gave an invitation.

Pleasant lines:
my dad's love of music,
God's grace in saving my dad, especially in light of his sister's rejection of the Lord

The lines have fallen unto me in pleasant places;
Yea, I have a goodly heritage.
Psalm 16:6

Heritage: My Grandparents

I have been wanting to start an occasional series of blogs concerning my heritage. I have been extremely blessed. Extremely. So in thanks to the Lord, and because I am very proud of my family, I would like to introduce my Heritage series. My heritage began before my grandparents, and I may tell you about some of my ancestors before them, but for now I will begin there.


My paternal grandparents are Joseph William and Luella Mae H. Grandpa grew up in Montana with eleven siblings. His grandfather came over from the Netherlands. My grandma grew up in Canada with three younger sisters. They met at Moody Bible Institute and were married in 1930. (This is their wedding picture.)

Grandpa became a pastor and served the Lord faithfully throughout his life. He also taught math in public schools along the way. He has been with the Lord for about 15 years. I have such fond memories of him. He was a tall man who took walks, and walked fast! But I remember sitting on his lap in his big black chair and him giving me "chin chopper," which was his rubbing his stubbly chin against my cheek. I also remember him praying. He would mention one of his blessings and then say, "Thank Thee." Now I hear my dad doing the same thing and it warms my heart.

Grandma is now 99 years old. She always worked alongside Grandpa in the church, teaching Sunday School and discipling. I remember her ambitious cooking, always a spread when we visited. She has remained very sharp until quite recently and loves the verse, "In quietness and confidence shall be your strength."


My maternal grandparents, pictured here at their wedding in 1940, are Wilferd Emmett and Margaret M. Grandpa grew up with three brothers and a sister. During the depression he went to live with a childless couple to help with their farm and when the farmer died, he ran the farm at the age of eighteen. Grandma was the youngest with three older brothers. They met when Grandma came to "the city" to work. Grandpa was a deacon in their church. This set of grandparents were "background" folks, quietly doing what needed to be done. Grandma has been with the Lord for about 10 years, and Grandpa lives with my parents. They have lived near or with my family since we moved to northern Michigan in 1978, so they are a part of the everyday memories of my childhood.

I cannot thank the Lord enough for faithful people as my grandparents. My parents were brought up "in the discipline and instruction of the Lord," for which I am eternally grateful.