Category Archives: Childhood

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Posted on December 26, 2015 by

Gerrit Kleinheksel and his wife Bertha set their minds to building a big sturdy farmhouse in 1905. The deep dark pine was abundant and the fresh scent of sawdust filled the air as the handsaws sliced back and forth. The … Continue reading →

Posted in ancestors, Ancestry, Childhood, Dad, faith, Family, Farming, Father loss, God's faithfulness, Grief and loss, Memories, mother loss, piano playing, trust in God | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Happy Birthday Dad

Posted on July 31, 2015 by

Dear Dad, Happy Birthday Dad! It would be your 95th birthday today and I am thinking about your past life, and what it would possibly be today. If you wouldn’t have had to begin suffering strokes and then finally die … Continue reading →

Posted in ancestors, Ancestry, Childhood, Dad, Death, faith, Family, Farming, Father loss, Grief and loss, listen, Marriage Commitment, Memories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

My Dad…

Posted on June 21, 2015 by

My dad was a hard-working farmer who loved to talk to people. I can’t remember him ever telling me in words that he loved me. Hugging was also not really done in my family. My old-fashioned Dutch dad was very … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, Dad, Family, Father's day, Grief and loss, trees | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The Pretty Place

Posted on May 24, 2015 by

 The overgrown trail was dotted with purple, white and yellow in the spring. The whole area was called the “gullies.” Grabbing unto tree branches along the way, my senses filled  deeply with the grassy muddy smell. In the famous movie “Chronicles … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, Farming, God our Father, God's faithfulness, God's protection, Grief and loss, Memories, mother loss, prayer, sister loss, Springtime | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Mother’s Day Isn’t Always Simple

Posted on May 1, 2015 by

Mother’s Day. A day when all the ladies are honored and everything is flowers and sunshine all around. Hold on. Let’s not forget the ones who have lost their moms. Motherless daughters. It could be that a woman has lost … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, Death, Family, Grief and loss, Hope, Mom, mother loss, Motherless Daughters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mrs. Miller…an unforgettable teacher…and another in the series on trees…

Posted on December 6, 2014 by

A tree can have such special meanings and purposes. You might ask what that has to do with a woman named Mrs. Miller. I have a schefflera tree sitting in my dining room which has endured. If you know me, … Continue reading →

Posted in Allegan County Historical Society, Allegan County News, Childhood, Grief and loss, Motherless Daughters, Mrs. Marguerite Miller | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

A Harvest Night

Posted on November 22, 2014 by

That fall feeling was in the air. The smell of corn husks and leaves. The chill that makes you pull your coat closed. Maybe I was 8 or 9 years old. Often I’d sit on top of the warm pile … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, Farming, Siblings | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

If a tree could talk, the stories it could tell… Part 2

Posted on October 6, 2014 by

That old tree. It held many a child in the length of it’s years…   As long as I can remember, that towering tree spread it’s branches over us. It stood across the street from my own farmhouse. A bunch … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, God's faithfulness | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Summer’s Day which burned

Posted on June 24, 2014 by

Another mundane morning of driver’s training. Three kids. An instructor who said, “go 40 on 40.” His way of attempting to be funny. Long story. Along with many other sayings he used. You would only understand if you grew up … Continue reading →

Posted in Childhood, Death, Grief and loss, Siblings, sister loss | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments