“Hi! We are related!” This friendly welcome came from one of Mitch’s cousins I had never met. A fun conversation continued as she relayed how exactly we were related as we sat watching the Sailors play soccer. It turns out that her son plays on Corey’s soccer team. Some may comment “small world!”, but a more common phrase around here is Dutch Bingo.
Dutch Bingo, termed for how you connect with people based on family or any kind of Dutch connection, is what we played days later as Lauren came over for coffee and tasty treats after kids started the first day of school. Mitch, Lauren, and I sat at the kitchen table, reminiscing about Great Gram Tuinstra, a fun grandma never forgotten.
Another part of the connection included parents with dementia. Lauren’s stories of a mom with dementia reminded me of my own mother and others who deal with a constant of confusion. I could relate to her description of her mom’s eyes, glazed at times when asked questions. Additionally, I found myself connecting to her description of shortened and lack of speech. I thought about my own mother’s definite changing speech patterns over the summer.
Our Dutch Bingo coffee time also included looking at the Tuinstra cookbook, a compilation of recipes and pictures from the large Tuinstra family. We agreed that a family cookbook is a wonderful way to connect families together, learn about family history, and converse with others about family incidents. The most notable one captured our attention. Henry and Jennie Tuinstra, the great grandparents, experienced loss of their thirteen year old child who was struck by lightning while sitting by a window.
As Lauren left 1891, I couldn’t help but hope that Dutch Bingo will continue. More coffee and more tasty treats need to be included as this journey continues.
These are Mitch’s grandparents, Lucille and Peter Tuinstra. Pictures of the family members are scattered throughout the cookbook. 
Lauren’s grandparents are pictured here. Bertha was a sister of Mitch’s grandfather.
A Journey Worth Remembering 