by Lynn Austin
“But . . . ?” he asks with a crooked grin.
I take my time, needing to explain everything to Derk the way that Oma explained it to me. I’m still struggling to understand it all myself. “Oma Geesje thinks I was rescued and adopted by my parents for a reason. That God has a plan for me in Chicago. She says I should return home and trust God to show me what it is. Maybe it means marrying William—maybe not. But for now, I need to go home.”
Derk sighs again. “I hate to admit it, but she’s probably right. She usually is.”
“She let me read her memoir today, and I agree that it would be amazing if you and I ended up together. Imagine Geesje’s granddaughter marrying Hendrik’s grandson. But that isn’t the way God seems to be directing either one of us. You need a partner for the ministry He has given you, and I don’t think I would be the right wife for you any more than Caroline was.”
He pulls me into his arms and holds me tightly. I feel so comfortable there, and as I return his embrace, I wish with all my heart that it could be different for us—but it can’t.
“Derk, I truly believe that God brought you and me and Oma Geesje together this summer for a reason. All three of our lives have been changed. Now . . . now it’s just so very, very hard to say good-bye.”
“Then we won’t,” he says, still holding me tightly. “We’ll just say . . . until next time.” We finally release each other and stand at the same time. “You’ll always be in my prayers, Anna. And I hope I will always be in yours.”
Tears stick in my throat as I nod. I can’t reply. Derk bends to kiss my cheek, and I watch him turn and walk away. I think I understand how hard it was for Oma Geesje to say good-bye to Hendrik on that long ago day, to watch him walk away into the woods and out of her life forever.
Chapter 40
Geesje
Holland, Michigan
1897
Arie comes with his carriage to drive Anneke and me to the train station. He’s going to miss her almost as much as I will. She is different from her mother in many, many ways, and yet having Anneke with us has brought back so many wonderful memories of Christina.
When we get to the station we go inside out of the hot sun and sit on a bench while we wait for the train to arrive. I don’t want Anneke to leave, but I know that she has to. Tears sting my eyes when I hear the faint sound of the train whistle in the distance. A few minutes later, the engine chugs noisily into the station and halts with a hiss of steam. “We’ll see each other again, Oma, won’t we?” she asks as we stand on the platform together.
“Of course we will.”
“You must come to Chicago for my wedding, if I decide to marry William. You, too, Uncle Arie. And Uncle Jakob and Aunt Joanna and Elizabeth and everyone else must come, too.”
“I would love to celebrate your wedding day with you,” I tell her. Although I can already imagine how dreadfully out of place I would feel. I have brought my notebook with my life’s story with me, and I pull it out of my bag now and hand it to Anneke. “I want you to have this, dear. Now I know why I felt so compelled to write all of my story, the good parts as well as the bad. It was for you, so you would know who you are and who the people were who lived and loved and trusted God before you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Oh yes. I’m very sure.” Anneke takes the notebook in both hands and hugs it to her chest as if I’ve given her something much more valuable than a dime store notebook. Her eyes fill with tears as the train whistle blows a warning. “No tears,” I say, acting braver than I feel. “I know for certain that we’ll see each other again.” I watch my precious granddaughter board the train. Then I remain on the platform, watching until the last car disappears and there is nothing more to see.
Arie puts his arm around my shoulder and gives me a hug. “Let’s go home, Mama,” he says. I nod, already knowing how empty my little house will feel without her.
My son Jakob comes that evening. He ties his carriage to my hitching post and sits down on my front porch with me for a few minutes. “So, Anneke returned to Chicago this morning?”
“Yes. I hated to see her go.”
“I can well imagine.” We sit in silence for a long moment before Jakob says, “With so much happening this summer, I wondered if you ever had a chance to finish the memoir you were writing about Holland’s history?”
“I did. I’ll go inside and get it.”
The final version of the story that I show Jakob is only a dozen pages long. He leafs through it and says, “I thought it would be longer than this.”
“Well, I explained why Mama and Papa decided to leave the Netherlands . . . described our journey here and the hardships of getting settled . . . What else is there to say?” I ask with a shrug. “Read it and see for yourself.”
In this new version, I don’t mention Hendrik or my many struggles to trust God. I don’t write about Maarten or how we worked to build a marriage together and found love in the end. When Jakob finishes reading a few minutes later, he looks up at me.
“This is wonderful, Moeder. I think the committee will be pleased with your contribution.”
“I’m so glad. And you will take it home and correct my English for me?”
“I’ll have Joanna look it over, but it really doesn’t need much. Your English is very good.”
“It should be after living in America for fifty years.” I can see that Jakob is about to leave, but I put my hand on his arm to stop him for just a moment longer. “I know I’ve told you this before, son, but I’m so very proud of you and what a fine dominie you’ve become. Your father was very proud of you, too.”
“I hope I’m even half the man of faith that Papa was.”
“Yes . . . Maarten was a true man of God. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t miss him.”
The twilight is fading into night as Jakob’s carriage disappears in the distance. I’m alone again—but I’m never really alone. My loving Father, who has been with me through countless joys and sorrows in my lifetime, still holds me tightly in His hand. Indeed, nothing can ever separate me from His love.
Author’s Note
I need to thank my dear friends Paul and Jacki Kleinheksel for all their help and encouragement in writing this book. They shared their love of Holland and Hope College with me, as well as their wonderful library of books on Holland’s history. I’m grateful for excellent local historians such as Robert Swierenga and Randall Vande Water who made the task of researching this novel so much easier. Thanks also to Ted VanderVeen for loaning me his invaluable book of Dutch immigrant memories, inspiring the idea for Geesje’s memoir.
Paul and Jacki Kleinheksel also introduced me to the fascinating work of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates. Books by underwater researchers Craig Rich and Valerie VanHeest helped me bring Lake Michigan’s sometimes tragic history to life. The account of the Phoenix disaster in 1847 is a true story. So is the sinking of the Ironsides; however, I took the liberty of moving the date of that shipwreck forward four years to better fit the chronology of my story. The Ironsides actually sank off the coast of Grand Haven, Michigan, on September 15, 1873.
All that remains of the grand Hotel Ottawa is a historical marker near the shore of Black Lake—now known as Lake Macatawa. The splendid hotel burned to the ground in a fire in 1923 and was never rebuilt. The story of the fire that destroyed the Jenison Park Hotel, mentioned in my novel, is true. That hotel burned on the night of July 24, 1897. Tragically, fire also destroyed most of the city of Holland on October 7, 1871, the same weekend as the Great Chicago Fire. Hope College’s oldest building, Van Vleck Hall, was spared—and became my dormitory when I attended Hope College nearly one hundred years later.
Bestselling author Lynn Austin has sold more than one million copies of her books worldwide. She is an eight-time Christy Award winner for her historical novels, as well as a popular speaker at retreats and conventions. Lynn and her husband have raised three children and live in Michigan. Learn more at www.ly
nnaustin.org.
Books by Lynn Austin
All She Ever Wanted
All Things New
Eve’s Daughters
Hidden Places
Pilgrimage
A Proper Pursuit
Though Waters Roar
Until We Reach Home
While We’re Far Apart
Waves of Mercy
Wings of Refuge
A Woman’s Place
Wonderland Creek
REFINER’S FIRE
Candle in the Darkness
Fire by Night
A Light to My Path
CHRONICLES OF THE KINGS
Gods & Kings
Song of Redemption
The Strength of His Hand
Faith of My Fathers
Among the Gods
THE RESTORATION CHRONICLES
Return to Me
Keepers of the Covenant
On This Foundation
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