“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.”
Proverbs 31: 29
A Tribute to Aunt Katie
I read somewhere that the big
difference in people is not if they have been rich or poor… rather, it is if
they have known love or not.
It is clear to me that Aunt Katie
has known love, from those she surrounded herself with, to the ones who wanted
to be near her. Aunt Katie knew love and
she gave love, she was the dearest lady.
My own memories of her are filled
with times of sharing love, showing interest in my children and my grandchildren,
always giving from her heart, deeply from her soul. From the sitting down to coffee and apple pie
at McDonalds and sharing words of her life, the life she shared with Jake, the
man she was devoted to… to the walking about shopping for the right gift to
give her granddaughters, every purchase, every thoughtful gift was considered
with love and grace. We shared the value
of books, the meaning of scripture and most recently we shared our hearts,
speaking out the thoughts we held to the loss of our husbands...tears.
.
Aunt Katie was sophisticated, in
a simple way… she was soft spoken, a woman of integrity, a woman who despite
her losses, was filled with love, over flowing with generosity and exceeding in
grace.
The memories from those who loved her are laden with childhood gatherings, growing-up-together-dreams and growing-old-at-last-satisfactions.
There are childhood memories… of
the Esau’s, gifts received to the Congo from across the miles of land and over
oceans, packed in barrels of love, given in the way of hand sewn gifts, baking
and books. And once they were home,
memories of hospitality, comfort and being made welcome…welcomed home. Memories of the ‘Eastern’ Martens…crossing
Canada for summer visits, picking berries, melting in the eating of them, and
sneaking cookies from the freezer. Memories
of how she loosed her bun and let her hair fall down over her shoulders to
touch the ground. Still others who lived
nearby, remember that spending time with Aunt Katie & Uncle Jake was always
special…on the farms in Sumas Prairie and in Yarrow, sleepovers, playing dress
up in her grown up clothes and being fascinated by the process of milking cows
by hand…and all have memories of her smile, how it lit up a room and the
hearing of her giggle, sweetness and joy.
There are memories of sharing and
forgiving, memories of crime and punishment…always fitting and fair…justice
served; memories of laughter and memories of the never ending appreciation of
Aunt Katie’s generosity and grace.
Memories of a gracious hostess
with wonderful home-made goodies…memories of cookbooks, covered with splatters, jotted
notes and many inserts of hand-written recipes, all tested by the wonderful
cook she was…memories of munching her famous pickles, of eating her chicken
noodle soup, of her giving lessons on the making of borscht and sauerkraut. Her
changing from hand mixing to Bosch turning…the baking of cookies and pies and
breads all with names spelled with German letters and pronounced in heavy
accents zwieback, portzelky, platz, rolchucken, perishky, hirschensalz cookies, all of it always served with a table cloth-spread out, on rose painted china,
with coffee cups and saucers, tinkling with silver spoons.
Memories of roses growing in beds
where weeds weren’t allowed, nor deer to nibble, only the roses, sweet and
blooming from pruned bushes surrounded by the many other plants and flowers
that Aunt Katie loved; flowers that she
made into arrangements for occasions of celebrations, church gatherings, the weddings of her nieces and for her
daughter.
Memories of sewing and stitching and threading, needles, scissors and
patterns, fabrics and lace, sewn into childhood dresses-smocked, teenage skirts
and blouses-pressed, choir outfits- altered, white suits for sweet boys, beautiful
bridesmaid dresses…wedding dresses…all
sewn with dreams, stitched with love and given freely. Quilts put together from squares, sewn and
then more; again and again and again and laying there still, folded across her
sewing machine.
There are those who have memories
of watching her drive her scooter on errands along with Jake …and then by
herself, she was determined, and she was brave…memories of a life with no
complaints…only encouragement, encouraging all of us to look only at the
blessings that God has showered down.
Memories; of those in the church
and in the communities that Aunt Katie along with Jake were dedicated to,
families like the Friesens and the Koehns, who were taken under wing to be
cared for and loved and cherished.
There are memories of song,
singing out with a full voice, sweetly, with her sister, in high heels… and of prayers,
of calling out to God begging for wisdom, for understanding and for health, on
her knees. Memories of watching her sit
beside a dying husband, she was the sweetest wife … memories of her bearing the
loss of Lynnette her eldest granddaughter…she was the sweetest grandmother...Then
later of standing steadfast at the
bedside of her sister, losing another part of her heart…she was the sweetest
sister.
Memories of brothers, Aron and
Victor who called Katie sister, even though a sister through marriage, a true sister
in heart. Jake's brothers who cared
deeply, for a woman who went beyond measure to return that special care and
love that being part of family means.
Memories of caregivers, those
taking tender care of the sweetest Aunt, days of listening to her stories, days
of holding, watching, loving… softly remembering a woman who was once whole, who
lay sweetly broken, in dreams of going home…and then of breathing in the last
air God had given her.
There are too, now and forever, the
memories of her daughter Frieda, memories of childhood dreams and wishes that
only mother and daughter can share…things inside, hidden in their eyes and held
in their hearts. Memories only they
could share, bittersweet losses and overflowing joys, true sadness and
heartbreaks tempered with laughter and the shared knowing of heart felt
love…love that only a mother and daughter can know.
Charlene holds the sweetest of
these memories… they are all wrapped up in her own heart and soul.
“Charlene is sad, why? “
“Why, Charlene?”
“Because Grandman has gone to be
with Jesus, to be with Jesus in heaven, she will be young again and she will
see Grandpa and Lynnette and Aunt Louise, she is happy now.”
“Yes, Charlene, Grandman is very
happy now.”
Aunt Katie was the dearest friend, sister, wife, mother and
grandmother…we will miss her.
“Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her
praise at the city gate.”
Proverbs 31:31
