OUR PARENTS PLANS HAVE WORKED OUT

   When anyone feels puzzled about any situation, the helping prayer has been successful for many people.  That is the way our parents felt after losing their four year old son Harold to Scarlet Fever in the mid thirties.  At that time vaccinations were not available.  As World War 11 loomed on the horizon, their older children had already left home and their third son would spend five years stationed in England treating the wounded at home base.  To get our high school education my sister and I found homes to stay at through the Church of the Open Door in Medicine Hat.  My main job was to take care of their two year old daughter when they were away from home.  Each day after lunch there was cleaning the kitchen floor (hands and knees) and there was still time to run up the hill for high school by 1:00 PM.  John Harold, the replacement for Harold John arrived in 1939.  The granddaughter of Harold’s replacement is now studying to become a medical doctor.  A lady with savings has established a legal trust fund for her.  With this trust fund she doesn’t have to worry about the details, knowing that her hard-earned life’s work is safely invested and as reliable as our country itself.  I consulted two such investment companies a few years ago but to this date have not heard any further details from them.

   Since my great grandchildren have asked their Dad to tell them everything about my oldest brother, their Great-Uncle Paul, his notebook should be mentioned.  Paul kept a little notebook book with him at all times to record new ideas about farm equipment and how homes could be insulated – often old newspapers were stuffed between 2-by-fours.  As a teenager his inventive mind came up with ideas that helped immigrant families get settled in the minus 40 degree winters.  The barb-wire telephone line was one of his summer projects for our district.  His daily work included travel throughout Alberta keeping furnaces working efficiently and safely. In the evenings he filled his little book with ideas and how the invention of radio could help forecast the weather to cover gardens in case of frost.  During the evenings he updated his little book with ideas and poems of inspiration.  I am sure one of their four children has saved his little book after his wife Marie passed on.  Marie has told us that when Paul was courting her, their mother would look out a window and say, “Come Marie, here comes ‘Abraham Lincoln’ to visit you.”  Both families kept Paul in high esteem.   One day Paul could not be found on this half section of flat land.  The entire family searched.  He was finally found hiding in our deep dry well to avoid taking part in shooting the animal that had to be slaughtered for our winter’s food supply.                          

         

  

                                

MOTHER DECIDES TO HAVE ANOTHER BABY

   My mother’s arms had felt so empty and her heart remained so sad after the death of Harold.  The two eldest sons Paul and Fred soon married and left home.  Their third son, Albert (often called Al) was conscripted into the Canadian Army and based in England.  One never knew if or when he would return to Canada.  The dental missionary, Helen had been staying near the coast of South America waiting for the next wartime ship that had space for one more passenger leaving for Africa.  Helen said she had been called of God and felt it was her duty to help the people of Africa.  She spent 52 years there and during that time the family kept in close touch through air mail letters. Helen received no salary but two people in the Keyes family who had helped her through high school sent $50.00 each month during all her years in Africa.  Bob and Margaret Keyes now are retired.  Helen stayed in Kamloops with my younger sister Esther and her husband Lloyd for nine years and helped her keep in touch with those back in Africa.  Now in a retirement home in Kamloops, Lloyd and Esther visit her three times a week and bring prints of the e-mails that have come for her.  She likes to remind me that she asks him to use the clear side of “pre-used” paper.      

   Now we’ll go back to our Mother who had the idea that they would have another child to take the place of Harold John, They would name him John Harold and perhaps this new one would bring back to earth the soul of Harold.  The replacement arrived on December 3^rd, 1938, and they called him John Harold Krueger.  Educated in Canada, he had trained as a high school teacher.  The hearts of both our Mother and Father felt a healing.  Our brothers and sisters kept an open mind and precious lessons were learned along the way  The new baby did not have the blond wavy hair like Harold  shows on the only picture taken of him standing in his little wagon and seems to guide it with both hands and beams a pleasant smile. 

    After retirement and receiving a teacher’s pension, John and his wife Jean went to Kenya and organized The International Fellowship.  Any couple already in Kenya who may have up to four children of their own and were willing to welcome two more into their home could become residents on the farm, work together, and be part of that community. In retirement John and Jean remain available when asked for advice by the board of directors of the International Fellowship. 

The picture below shows Harold Krueger beaming his pleasant smile.

                                                                                                  

THE SOLDIER

     World War II was in the making in 1939.  The king and queen of England came to Canada to help recruit soldiers for the war effort as well as inspire Canadians to collect funds through the sale of war bonds to help in the war against Adolph Hitler who was already bombing England to try to annex this territory.  My three brothers were contacted by the recruiter.  The eldest, Paul, was taking care of the half section home place that was considered necessary to continue his part in the war effort to keep the food chain in action.  My second brother Fred with his wife and son were living on their own farm and classed as being necessary for providing food supplies to ship to the troops.  Our third brother, Albert, also known as Al, was conscripted and soon on his way to report to the Canadian army.  New recruits faced many adjustments to a new kind of life.  While taking basic training Al spent a brief time in a military hospital diagnosed with pneumonia.  At six feet two inches tall with a strong build and blond wavy hair the doctors took note of this new recruit who encouraged and cheered other patients and helped the doctors bind their wounds.  He was transferred into the Canadian Medical Corps and helped in all hospital areas as well as treating the wounded on site. Letters from home were much appreciated and a home knitted sweater was always a comfort during the long cold marches for rescue missions in the unfamiliar territory.  My older sister, Helen (child No. 4 for our parents) had friends who also had a son stationed in the main war zones.  I wrote letters of encouragement to him as well as to my brother.  E-mail letters were still not around in the 1930s or 1940s.  My last letter to Doug was returned marked “Missing in action.”  After five years in the army Al appreciated returning to Canada’s wide open spaces.  Our parents had lost their four year son Harold, when scarlet fever raged in mid 1930s and vaccinations were not yet available.  Even the young RCMP officer stationed in the Orion-Manyberries area died of scarlet fever.  Anne (Al’s wife) later told me that Al’s eyes would tear up when speaking of the loss of his cheerful little brother.  Our parents spoke of him often as well, hoping that one of their children would become a medical doctor and able to spare other parents such grief.  Al told how Harold would dance to the music from our old cabinet radio. But wait, tune in later - there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. What about Helen and me and Esther.  Helen took nursing and dental training in Toronto and waited at the coast in South America for the next ship going to Africa.  I ran out of college funds, and took training as a legal secretary.  My mother had another plan.  Not yet 40 years old, she decided to have another baby.   

  

                           

THE SALESMAN

    Loquacious and friendly, my second brother Fred, became a salesman and always had suggestions ready on all topics at all times and willing to give voice to a potential client at every opportunity. With bent right leg resting on the left knee he could at times stay in continuous motion, assuring everyone he was imparting competent knowledge on all subjects.  He was involved largely in the sale of real estate.. At age 21 he married a charming lady he met at a local dance in Orion.  She was always an interested listener.  At family gatherings there were moments when Fred’s exaggerations on many subjects seemed to push the limits and his wife, Gertrude, always calm, sometimes working with her knitting, would say, “Okay Fred, that’s enough.”  Her words unfolded quietly and gently as the pattern in her knitting shaped itself into a warm garment.  Fred would chuckle and say, “Hey do you want to hear story or not.” 

    On one occasion they spent a winter in Arizona. There was a misunderstanding regarding the amount to be paid to the sales agent.  Seller and buyer met in Court to settle the matter.  Fred’s wife sat in the audience and as usual had brought her knitting with her.  Indicating Fred’s wife, the judge looked toward her and said, “I think there is only one person in this Courtroom who knows what’s going on.” The judge divided the number in question into two parts and it was settled with a moment of mirth.

   Fred and his wife returned to British Columbia in time to attend a special Canada-wide celebration in 1967. He had a heart attack in 1986 followed by triple by-pass surgery.  He never fully recovered and had to give up his business.  After caring for Fred at home for a number of years, a nearby care home was found for him.  Gertrude had always taken a walk every day, and continues to do so.  This habit may account for the fact she is still in quite good health and spirits except for diminished eyesight and can no longer continue with her knitting and related hobbies.  She lives in a nice retirement home in Abbotsford B.C. Her next birthday will celebrate 98 years.  She enjoys visits from her daughter who lives nearby and a son in Alberta.

        

FOCUSING ON FAMILY

    The short daylight hours of the Christmas holiday season provided us with a perfect opportunity to focus on home and family.  Driving me home from Christmas dinner, my grandson, Luke, tells me their children have been asking so many questions lately about his side of their family.  Since it was a three day drive to travel to the grandparent’s home in the U.S. we spoke to them on the phone instead.  “I want to hear everything about your oldest brother Paul, tell me more about him first,” Luke insisted.  The previous briefs about my eldest brother had taken us to Orion, Alberta, 65 miles from Medicine Hat.  Our eldest brother, Paul, sheltered us from the bitter north winds on the way to Pakowki School.  The neighbour’s huge horned bull, Seafoam, would race toward the unfenced roadway to protect his herd of cows and try to get rid of us.  His massive size prevented him from getting under the bridge and we watched him paw the dusty road a few feet from us. 

    Now I’ll tell you about my second brother, Fred, who always seemed to be in a hurry with a new idea.  It began the day he was born on September 9^th when our brother Paul was nearly two years old.  The wheat fields of our farm had been harvested and our parents hitched up the two teams of horses after the two grain wagons had been shoveled full of wheat and the two wagons left for the elevators in Orion.  After both wagons were emptied at one of the elevators, Mother sensed possible birth pangs and left for home.  Two year old Paul stayed with his father to go to the post office to cash the grain cheques.  While standing in line, he noticed Mother was urging her team up the only steep hill two miles from town.  He immediately turned around and directed his team toward home..  Before trucks were available, grain wagons were built with a wider top.  He caught up with Mother’s team in less than an hour.  She had tied her team to a post near an old abandoned house.  He found Mother inside stretched out on the dusty shiplap floor, having already given birth to her impatient baby but had no scissors to cut the birth chord.  Taking Paul with him, they drove a half mile to Mrs. Cup’s place to borrow the scissors.  Mrs. Cup came back with him.  Both were too nervous to cut the baby’s birth chord so Mother reached for the scissors and did it herself and sealed it off with a shoestring.  Two more miles brought them home where they found Mrs. Kriel, the midwife had already arrived, “Here he is,” Mother said. Thinking it was a bag of oatmeal they had bought in town, the midwife tossed it to the couch, as the “bag of oatmeal” shouted loudly.  The midwife nearly fainted.  Mrs. Cup, the scissor lady soon booked the next ship back to her homeland, England.