"Human inheritance is both blessing and curse. And in religious inheritance this paradox is acute…. What curses do we need to shed, in the process of growing up? What can we hold to as blessing? " Kathleen Norris, Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith The discovery of Mennonite history was exciting and welcome. But … Continue reading How I got to the GTU
How I became a Mennonite
Note: The following piece is from a larger essay about the revolution in my family that occurred when my mother ‘went forward’ at a revival service at the Lodi Mennonite Brethren Church in Lodi, California. I have taken down the earlier part of the essay because I am using that material in the book I … Continue reading How I became a Mennonite
Agnes Young Willems: In Memorium
Mom is about twelve in this school photo. It is the earliest picture I have of her. May 30, 2021 My mother, Agnes Young Willems, was born 100 years ago today. She was born on a homestead in southwest Saskatchewan not far from the Montana border. Her parents, Adam and Margaret Armbruster Young, were both … Continue reading Agnes Young Willems: In Memorium
Phoenix, Arizona: March 1958-59
Easter 1959 Beni & ReneeThis photo was taken one week after Beni's first birthday. It is March, the month that my daughter Benith was born. Every year at this time, no matter where I have lived, memory turns to Phoenix 1958. March was cool that year, cool for Phoenix I should add, sunny and almost … Continue reading Phoenix, Arizona: March 1958-59
Japan: 1956
HOKUSAI (1760-1849) Japan’s mountains receive abundant snow, but Tokyo is a coastal city. Winter brought cold rain, grey sky, damp air. It looked cold, and it felt cold. People on the streets walked huddled inside their coats, cheeks and hands red and chapped. Shops were open and unheated. The only source of heat in traditional … Continue reading Japan: 1956
Bk 3. 9: The Log House in Monroe 1960-1961
It was Laura who first took us to Monroe. It was one of the places on a tour she gave us of the small towns north of Seattle. It was a beautiful little town then, with nice well-kept homes along its two major intersecting streets: Main Street, which went out to the Stephens’ Pass highway, … Continue reading Bk 3. 9: The Log House in Monroe 1960-1961
Bk. 3. 8: Northwest Journal Granite Falls, May 1960
Phoenix was not our first choice for a home, but we built a good life for ourselves there. We had good friends and neighbors we liked very much. We enjoyed working on our house and fixing it up; we enjoyed taking drives out into the desert and up to Flagstaff to visit Ben’s folks. And … Continue reading Bk. 3. 8: Northwest Journal Granite Falls, May 1960
Bk 3. 7: Northwest Journal May 1960
I began keeping a journal back in my late twenties. At first it was an occasional entry, a writer’s journal started as an assignment for a writing class at Arizona State University. Gradually it evolved to become an all-purpose means of working through problems as well as recording observations and ideas. It was a way … Continue reading Bk 3. 7: Northwest Journal May 1960
Bk 3. 6: Northwest Journal February 1957
The ship in whose depths I have lived for the last two weeks entered the Straights of Juan de Fuca, the deep strip of water that separates Washington’s Olympic Peninsula from Canada’s Vancouver Island. It was a troop ship on its way to Seattle, and I was one of the military dependents who boarded the … Continue reading Bk 3. 6: Northwest Journal February 1957
Bk 3. 5: The House on Melvin, Phoenix 1954-55
This another piece about my senior year, the year of my engagement. There is a different quality to my memories of the house on Melvin than those of times before then. I feel more aware, more myself. I was on the cusp of adult life, and I was eager for it. The long years of … Continue reading Bk 3. 5: The House on Melvin, Phoenix 1954-55
Heritage 