A nice life with a good wife!

As I come to the close of these writings I wanted to do one that is just a little different.  This one is going to kind of go all over the place but perhaps you can get the flavor of some fond and fun memories of some interesting times.  You might think this strange. But here it goes. I had one friend say they liked some of the stories about the Dutch days and this even has a little of that.

 About 25 years ago we moved from Lansing to Holland.  One of the nice things that happens on the drive from Lansing is that a little after you get past the Hudsonville exit you start coming down a hill and the next thing you see are the lights of Holland and Zeeland.  I am not sure why but for me this has always been kind of a special and welcoming view that happens on I-196.  Occasionally there is a cop parked on the downside of that hill but other than that it is a nice experience.

What I have done over the years as I make this drive is reflect on things.  It is my tradition to make this drive bring back memories. Here are a few.  I recall as a young kid going around the town of Pella, Iowa with my grandfather.  He was amazed upon our return from the Netherlands that we could speak the Dutch language.   He would take me around the town and when he would see one of his friends he would want me to demonstrate this skill.   Because the town had a tradition of Dutch heritage many of the people spoke enough of the Dutch language to be dangerous but it was kind of a mix between English and Dutch.  I think you might call it Yankee Dutch. When you are a little kid you are just not always sure how to act and what to say. It seemed a little annoying to me that I was being dragged around and asked to speak Dutch to everyone we  encountered. I soon learned that none of the people knew Dutch well enough to really know what I was saying.  After a couple of these forced conversations the third lady got something like this.  U hebt een veer in uw hoed en u vergat em het poeder vit de barsten in uw gesicht schoon te maken.   (You have a feather in your hat  and you forgot to clean the powder out of the cracks in your face.) I am not sure this lady understood this but I have worried about it now for about 50 years. She did say "Oh how cute" so I hope to this day she did not quite get it.

My Grandfather on my mothers side always had an interesting kind of logic. He directed several choirs and had some decent musical talent.  He would take my brother and I around with him when we were there and have us sit and listen to these practices.  At that time it was popular for some churches to locate the organ in the rear of the church and he did not like this.  He would always say that if God wanted the organ in the back of church he would have put our ears on our head the other way around.  He had this and a lot of other sayings like this and when you are a kid it kind of makes some sense.  He was worried about gun control but did not own a gun.  He somehow was worried that the Chinese were going to invade Pella and he was concerned that with gun control there would be nothing to defend the town.  He was worried about a parachute invasion.  On another front he was very kind.  If he would drive past a Dairy Queen and see a kid outside without an ice cream cone he would stop and buy him one.  I was always kind of fun to spend some time with him.  I still do kind of chuckle whenever I see an organ in the back of a church.

When Deb and I moved to Holland it still had some things that reminded me of Pella.  People would complain about the traffic and to us there was none.  The first night we moved here we were hungry and went to eat at the OBI.  We did not have much cash and the place, to our surprise, did not take credit cards.  The owner told us not to worry about it. Just take the bill home and the next time we came in pay him.  I recently had to have a knee replaced and still today the cafe of at Zeeland Hospital sometimes is not attended and you just leave your money on the counter near the register.  It has really been a wonderful place to raise a family.  People around here who have never lived in another place might not appreciate it to the full degree that we do.   But then again maybe they do.  At least they have never moved away.

Some years ago now the music director at our church came up with the idea of having a concert with four Grand Piano's.  I think Deb has never considered herself in the league with some of the other players who played that night but she worked on it for hours in our house and took her place at one of these instruments.  I think she was a little nervous but I was really proud that she dared to take this on and as that concert went on that night I let the music soak in to my soul.  Later she and Ross would play in our living room. Once in while Alden would play his horn and Mieke would sing.  In years gone by I would play (or try to play) my trombone with them.  In whatever direction the present issue of this cancer takes us, the memories of these moments will never fade. We did argue on more than one occasion.  Ross whould say "To you guys time is just a magazine".  We never went on the road. It  has always been a home full of music and I have Deb to thank for this.  It has been a good life and she has been a good wife.

I conclude now these writings.  But before that happens I want to thank some people.  I thank our friends who have taught us something about Christian love and concern. I thank our relatives who have both endured these stories and provided some of the material for many of them.  Also, their outpouring of support during these past months.  I thank  my own children who have expressed in a unique way their love for their mother in a way that is generally not done as meaningfully during normal times.  But most of all I thank Deb.  She has faced what she does now with a courage that is second to none.  She values life to such a high degree that she will do anything to have it continue. At the same time she has told me many times that she does not fear death.  She is a strong women and in whatever course this present event leads she is confident that the outcome will be one that she is able to endure. 36 years and counting and hoping for many more.

Ik genoot ervan u te schrijven en id wil u laten weten dat er zelfs in de stormen van het leven altijd enn beetje humor te vinden valt. Goede dag en moge God u allen zegenen. (I enjoyed writing to you and I want  you  to know that even in the storms of life you can always find a little humor.  Good day and may God bless you all.)

Stan the Man,  Next time a few pictures and then on to something else. I will keep you posted.................
Thanks for reading!!!!!!!