How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways.

There is really only one (giant) reason not to love Las Cruces  - the obvious fact that my family isn't here. Everyday, I experience new things I wish I could share with them... and that longing motivated me to write this blog, so for Heaven's sake they better be reading it! 

There are so many reasons to love Las Cruces and it's hard to list just ten, but I'll try.

Top ten list continued:

#8  The friendliest people live in Las Cruces. I thought Iowans were nice, but people here are even nicer. The lack of snow and ice may have something to do with it, but I think there could be something in the chiles! Or, maybe, it's the prevailing attitude of "Manana" implying "we'll get to it tomorrow." Everyone, is just a little more laid back. Ruby and I met a friendly woman with an obvious accent on a morning walk. I recognized her accent as Dutch right away, because I was once to married to a Dutchman who's family immigrated from The Netherlands in 1952 and had the same "hard G" that sounds like a growl. Her name was Ria and later when asked her last name she said, “Ill have to spell it because it's Dutch.” She had no idea that I grew up near a Dutch community and was immersed in all-things-Dutch for many years. Of course her last name began with "Van." 

Off the topic of friendly people in Las Cruces; sadly my former Dutch mother-in-law just passed away. She loved me from the start - or at least I think she did. Often she would speak in Dutch - she always spoke with a heavy Dutch accent - and sometimes she would look at me and say something in Dutch to a Dutch speaking family member. I may have just been paranoid, but it was definitely a new experience for this 18 year old girl who grew up in small town Iowa. Also, when she immigrated here with her husband, Tunis, their American sponsor couldn't pronounce her Dutch name so he gave her a new one. Guess what he named her? Carrie! Spelled exactly the same as my first name. When she stood in front of the immigration judge he asked her about a middle name. She picked "Kay" after her Aunt Kay who always thought Carrie should have been named after her. She was the original Oma (grandma) Carrie and will be greatly missed by all her knew her. 

Here is a photo of Tunis, Carrie, daughter Micole, and granddaughter Ava. This photo was taken this year at a very special book release. The book includes stories of Carrie and Tunis’s time in The Netherlands during WWII. Both of their families hid Jews from the Nazi’s and secretly transported weapons for the underground resistance. It’s been an honor to know them both and to have called them family. 

Carrie and Tunis Van Walbeek on their wedding day in Baambrugge, Netherlands. You can see all the fresh hope for the future on their faces. 

I’ll return to my top ten list tomorrow, but right now I’m thinking about my past and how the people I’ve met helped shape who I am today. There is no mistaking, I’m a better person for having known this celebrated woman we called Oma.