[Magdalen] What a news day (& at least out here, it's only started).

[Judy Fleener]

absolutely, we'll plan on lunch, Jim.  We might even sing by the light of
burning martyrs, Jesus' bleeding feet I track.
Judy

On Sat, Sep 26, 2015 at 10:27 AM, Jim Guthrie <jguthrie at pipeline.com> wrote:

> From: Judy Fleener
>
> You're proud of that right?   Like when my d-in-l asked me, "At least you
>> believe in the ten commandments, don't you?"  I answered:  "I suppose they
>> are fine if you live in a male dominated agrarian society." Thank you,
>> Jack
>> Spong.
>>
>
> The more liberal relatives keep me up to date on the ones only speaking
> through the exchange of Christmas Cards. My grandmother's "favorite"
> incident with the cousins was when they ran out of gas near Allegan and as
> it was Sunday, they coudn;t buy gas. So they flagged down someone without
> such religious scruples and persuaded him to buy gas for them. When
> visiting Uncle Dyke in Holland, it always irritated me that  I'd have to
> drive some distance to pick up the Sunday paper. Uncle Dyke had the NY
> Times delivered by mail for the news and the Holland Sentinel for laughs,
> as he put it.
>
> He's the one who went to China as a Dutch Reformed missionary in 1923, and
> at some point realized that missionaries were not doing the Chinese people
> any favors, especially as they had to keep warlords and government
> functionaries who oppressed people happy. I have his letters -- including
> vivid descriptions of the gunfire outside their compound during the 1927
> revolution, as well as a similar letter written during the 1949 revolution.
> His wife and their two kids were expelled by the Communists, but he stayed
> behind (assistant U.S. Consul) under House Arrest until getting out on a
> Korean War era prisoner exchange.
>
> He taught at Columbia University for a year, then went on to head the
> political Science Department at Hope College for the rest of his work
> years; His son was head of the Physics Department.
>
> In any case, I suspect the exchange of cards with the
> ultra-fundamentalists every year means it's not as if we're estranged --
> just not so interested in talking to each other  <g>>
>
> BTW -- I'm planning to visit Holland and Grand Rapids in the Spring to
> visit with some of the elderly (more liberal) cousins and to see family
> graves (I think Oak Hill near GR is the main one). My guess is we'll be
> staying in Moline with the widow of a first  cousin once removed who is one
> of my favorite people. She's volunteered the services of either her son or
> grandson to ferry us around (I don’t think she;s told them of the plans).
>
> When the plans are more firm, Maybe we could arrange for lunch?
>
> Cheers,
> Jim
>



-- 
Judy Fleener, ObJN
Western Michigan