February 14, 2013

To My Family,

I am writing my Legacy Letter to you today, Feb 14, 2013 in my

84th year. It is Valentine’s Day. It would seem fitting to write to

you today to let you know how important you are in my life and

how much I love you. As I have grown older, and new generations

and grandchildren. I hope God and perhaps a few of my insights

can guide you during your lives, and help make your path as

blessed as mine.

Values, Spiritual Beliefs and Life Lessons: The glue that holds

our family together is the love of God. There is an unshakable

belief that prayer is primary in our lives. This belief has been

passed down from my grandparents, my parents, and from me to

you.

groups.

It took a little finesse to make dancing happen in one particular

group. The Brethren, German Anabaptist community, similar to

the Amish, moved into ___ MN - our small neighborhood. The

elders did not permit their members to dance. I was teaching

Physical Education at the local grade school, and I wanted to teach

dance. Instead of calling it dance, I called it “rhythmic movement

to music.” The Brethren students were allowed to participate. I

believe there is always a way to make good things happen if you

My mother taught me that one religion is not better than another

religion. She said, what is important, is that love for God is

expressed through acts of charity. She believed that you should

always have something in your heart to give somebody else who’s

not as fortunate as you.

This strong belief was expressed in many different ways, but one

____homestead, or do gymnastics in the grove.

Physical activity was highly valued in our family. Education is

another important value that dates back to my grandparents. My

maternal Grandmother ___ loved books and reading. She had the

ability to read quickly and retain what she read. My grandparents

on both sides, my Grandpa ____ and Grandma ___ and my

Grandma ___ spoke German. I learned a little German as a young

girl, but no one knew exactly how much. They would speak in

German about grown-up subjects, thinking I couldn’t understand. I

had to have a relative or a friend to stay with for room and board;

otherwise, you couldn’t afford to go because there were so few

Catholic schools in our area. I stayed with a family who lived near

the Catholic school – My mother found this family through her

connections with the organist at the ___Church. My parents

arranged for me to be educated, and to go to college, which was

unusual for women at that time. My mother was also a teacher. I

learned a lot from her. She had a special gift to present information

clearly. She encouraged me to teach and helped me with my

presentations and lesson plans.

Before I got married, I obtained a certificate to teach, and taught in

a rural one-room school house prior to getting married. After I had

my nine children, I went back to college at Southwest Minnesota

State College to complete my bachelors degree and I began

teaching again. Three of my children were attending Southwest

when I was there. We would bump into each other on campus.

___and I even took the same health class together. I remember that

___received a better grade by just one point. There are not too

Let me tell you a little about my father. He was a very sentimental

man and loved his family dearly. He cried easily. He felt a little

embarrassed when he cried because in those days, many believed

that “men shouldn’t cry.” I however, was proud of him because it

takes strength to cry, not weakness. He was in touch with his

feelings decades before society became accepting that both males

and females have a right to cry and that tears are healthy.

You come from a strong family of tenacious and resilient people

who farmed their homesteads, and endured harsh winters.

you stick with it until you finish it. You don’t just skip around.”

Now-a-days, there are so many distractions. I hope despite this

reality, you can heed your ancestor’s wisdom about doing a good

job, not a fast job. They also taught me to never take anything for

granted, and to be frugal with what you do have.

Both my parents had green thumbs and cooked what they grew.

They can and freeze almost everything they harvested to make

save and reuse because we had so little back then. You had to be a

bit of a pack rat to survive in those days. Now they call it being

green.

Let me tell you a little bit more about my parents. My parents had

a very close and respectful relationship. They loved each other

dearly. My mother was a trusted advisor to my father. He felt she

was very good at making decisions and problem solving. I learned

from them about how to have a good marriage, and how important

it is to appreciate each other’s talents, rather than be jealous.

At different points in our lives we all have to overcome challenges.

I learned the best way to overcome big challenges is to break the

challenge down into small steps so it is more manageable, and to

stay organized. We had a large family, but the family atmosphere

was not chaotic. As a family, we all watched each other’s backs.

We helped each other, did things together and taught one another. I

hope you can continue that type of love and cooperation in your

families.

My Special Memories: I had many precious memories in my life.

some of the family traditions I describe will continue from

generation to generation. My mother was a very good cook. She

made wonderful pies, and took particular pride in her pie crusts.

She taught me how to make pies and breads and in turn, I taught

my daughters how to bake beginning at age five. I attached a few

of the family recipes you can share with your offspring. My

mother also played the piano and taught me some little pieces she

remembered.

They recorded records way back in the early 1900s. Unfortunately,

the records are no longer functional.

My sweetest memories are associated with your father. I met him

at a dance in ___, Minnesota. Maury was trying to score with my

beautiful cousin. She was the designated snow queen of our

community. ____didn’t pay any attention to me that night, but a

few weeks later, my __and __ were celebrating their 50th wedding

anniversary. I didn’t want to go because I was tired from teaching

school all week, but my mother insisted I go because ____ did so

to dance the Lindy. Not many guys at the time could. I love to

dance the Lindy! I even taught people in the nursing home how to

dance the Lindy. If you ever dance the Lindy, you can be sure I

will be nearby.

I was interested in ____ for other reasons than dancing. He had a

wonderful personality, was funny, and easygoing. He was a hard

worker and had a sensitive soul. Yet, he was not very romantic.

One night we were on a double date. The other couple were kissing

at the front door for what seemed like eternity. ____ and I were

sitting there in the car waiting for them to finish kissing when he

said, “We might as well get this thing over with.” And that’s how

picked armfuls of peonies to place in baskets, which we used to

decorate the church for our wedding. When I smell peonies, I

always think of our wedding.

People attending a wedding often pull a prank like filling up your

car with junk and rice, and tying cans to the back of the car.

____had an old 1939 Chevy and I had a newer 1946 Chevy. Since

my car was nicer, ____ and I decided to hide my car in the grove,

three miles away at my mother and father’s farm so people

couldn’t mess it up. People couldn’t find our car. It was a reverse

prank and some good planning to boot. ____ and I were married

other. I hope you all keep your Christian faith in the center of your

marriage and the center of your family. You know what you’re

doing when you keep God in your life. Please remember that I was

always there when you needed me, and I will always protect you.

May God bless all of you and bless those who follow with love and

peace.

P.S. Three of my favorite recipes are below. Enjoy!

RECIPES

Forgotten Kisses

2 egg whites

Preheat oven to 375 for at least 15 min

Beat egg until fluffy.

Add salt & cream of tarter, beating stiff.

Add sugar slowly beating all the time.

Beat until mixture is glossy-add vanilla and choc. chips

Divide into 3 parts

Tint each with food coloring

Drop by spoonful onto greased cookie sheets

Turn oven off and then place in oven for at least 5 hours. Could leave over night.

1/2 cup dry milk

1/2 c. shortening

2 unbeaten eggs

STEP ONE

Put warm water in small bowl.

Sprinkle over 1-2 pkg yeast

set aside - DO NOT STIR

STEP TWO

Add yeast & unbeaten eggs.

Beat stirring thoroughly from the side of the bowl

Work until soft dough.

Shape into rolls and let rise.

Bake at 375 degrees until lightly brown.