Text Connections

“Text to self, text to world, text to text” – these strategies found their way into my classroom as I worked to help students comprehend reading selections. I loved hearing about their connections.

While reading Lynn Austin’s book, Chasing Shadows, the connections to my Dutch grandmother seemed to leap out of the pages. The story centers on different families who helped the Jews and others hide during the war.I stopped reading to locate the pictures and my father’s memoirs.

Even though the Germans restricted outside activities after sunset, we didn’t pay too much attention. The young men hiding at our farm felt the need to test these restrictions. One night, they borrowed a few horses from our farm and went on an evening ride. The evening passed quickly and they suddenly realized that they were past curfew. To get back to the farm, they had to pass the German guard. To avoid this guard, they decided to use the horses’ speed to their advantage. They somehow steered the horses to veer as close as possible to the guard, and then speed past before the guard could figure out what was happening. Surprisingly, it worked and they laughed uproariously at their trickery. Despite the seriousness of the war, there were times of fun.

As I reread the memoirs, I was filled with amazement at my grandmother.

The word ” No” was not in our dictionary, at least not as it related to helping people. After the bombing of Rotterdam, the Dutch Red Cross requested that two boys would be placed in our home. My mother readily agreed. However, she made the condition that they had to be clean. When the two young boys arrived, it was discovered that they had lice. Mother phoned and told the organization that they would have to come and clean them up since she had eight other children at the home. Surprisingly, two women agreed. The pastor’s wife and mayor’s wife came to our home with new clothing and a hair clipper. The boys lived with us several months until other relatives were able to provide care. The same hospitality remained all through the war years.

What a legacy! I hope I can leave the same legacy to my children and now little Julia.