This is the only picture we have of my grandmother (my father's mother). And she has such a stern look on her face - but her children all say that she was a fun-loving person. She often danced around the house.
My grandfather was a glassblower - the factory whistle would blow at noon - and the workers would go home and have dinner. When my grandmother was courting my grandfather, she would run to the window when the whistle blew, so she could see her beloved walk to his mother's home. One summer day, the rose bush in front of her mother's window had grown so tall that it blocked her view. That just wouldn't do, so she took a knife to the bush and whacked the whole thing off, almost to the ground.
For centuries, it has been tradition in Holland to name the first son for the father's father - the first daughter would get the father's mother's name - the second son was named for the mother's father, and the next daughter would get the mother's mother's name. Other children's names would be taken from great grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.
For this reason, I have five cousins who are named Aartje, all named for our grandmother. The last three Aartjes born (of which I was one) were very close in age. Because of that, the families were tempted to compare them. So we have Tante Beth's Aartje (the prettiest), Uncle Huib's Aartje (the smartest), Uncle Tice's Aartje (that was me) - (the sturdiest!) Oh well, I survived. The three Aartjes are now 80 years old. Uncle Huib's Aartje lives in the Netherlands, so it's pretty hard to get together - but we're thankful for e-mail and phones. Tante Dien's Aartje is 88 years old, and lives in Australia.
On our wedding day, my husband and I did the work in the temple for grandmother Aartje and her husband Huibert. That made the day even more special.
