I'm not sure why, but my Mennonite heritage is one of the most valuable parts of my identity. There aren't a lot of Mennonite Brethren folk around here, but whenever I hear the name Penner, Janz, Neufeldt, or Dyck, my antennas go up. It seems like there is some sort of secret bond between Mennonites of the same breed...maybe it's because we're all related somehow. And if we can't figure out how we're related, we can always find a mutual friend or two. We, Menno's, love to talk about how we all fit together, and that can prove to be rather annoying to those who aren't MB. "So, John Dueck married Anna Hildebrand last week..." "Oh really? Is she Abe Thiessen's daughter?" "Yes, Abe and Gertrude have 79 grandchildren now, too!" "Wow, and they still have 6 children living at home!"
Another thing that is purely MB, is our own dialect of German. It isn't uncommon to be able to catch the general drift of a conversation between 2 MB's, even if you don't know a stitch of German. "Das 'lasagna' schmekt sehr gut!!" or "Ich liebe Hockey Night in Canada".
2 of the people responsible for me and my treasured heritage, are my Opa and Oma. They have quite a story, full of action, drama and romance, but I'll save that for another post; perhaps on their 60th Anniversary, this November. I love how even though they have lived in Canada for over 60 years, they have held on to so many of the Mennonite customs and practices. Most importantly, the FOOD! My Oma is inarguably the best cook in the whole world. I like to think that that skill was among the traits that was passed down to me. My Mom sure got it, so MAYBE...... Whenever Oma comes for a visit, we make our favorite MB dish, Gloms Wareneki mit Schmaunt Fett und Raucher Wurst. *translation* cottage cheese perogies with sausage cream gravey and mennonite farmer sausage. YUMMY!! You don't need to eat much for a week or so after a meal like that!
I feel so blessed to be given a heritage like the one I have, and I look forward to passing down some of that lifestyle to my kids. I want my kids to know where they come from, and that being Mennonite means more than being born from food loving, german speaking, 4-part harmony singing immigrants; it means that your ancestors fought for their lives to get to Canada, and to freedom. They didn't care what it took, or what it would cost them...they wanted a better life for their children and grandchildren. Being MB is a miracle this day in age because of what our grandparents had to overcome in order for us to even be born. So, next time we sit down to a good meal, and after we've sung a rousing rendition of "Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow", I'll thank God for the care and provision he showed my ancestors, so they could be here to teach me about who I am....a MENNONITE!!!
2 comments:
Very cute, Heather! I don't know more than two words of low German but I love the food! We get our sausage from Sask every time we go to visit, and of COURSE we have to have it with vereniki!
yeah, I'm kind of a mennonite wannabe. My mom grew up in a mennonite town! So I am familiar with the food, and that's about it. Oh, and my mom knows how to say, "you are an uncoordinated snot rag" in German. She's very proud of that. Mothers.
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