A Research Trail: Finding the Finnish Midwife

The trip to Finland in 2017 had several purposes. We were meeting some relatives for the first time at a family reunion in northern Finland. After the reunion my husband I traveled south by train. When we arrived in Vaasa (western coast of Finland) we rented a car. The midwife that I had been researching… Continue reading A Research Trail: Finding the Finnish Midwife

Why I am Resisting, in Pursuit of Health

The leaves are changing color, flames of red and gold. The fall roses are still blooming in northern Michigan. God has inscribed color and beauty on earth. The design of the earth and its seasons, the design of all creatures, the design of the human body comes from God, our creator. We have an intricate… Continue reading Why I am Resisting, in Pursuit of Health

My Finnish Grandmother Was a Copper Country Woman

At the beginning of the twentieth century my grandmother immigrated to a mining town in Upper Michigan, from Finland. She married a copper miner in the Copper Country. Long after my grandmother passed away I learned about the miner’s strike and a disaster that killed 73 people, most of them children, most of them Finnish.… Continue reading My Finnish Grandmother Was a Copper Country Woman

Traditions and Heritage

My mother picked strawberries and wild blueberries with her mother, and so did I. My Finnish heritage has given me a an appreciation for berries, wild and cultivated.  Berries are abundant in Finland (37 types of edible wild berries) and an important addition to the diet. Enjoyment of berries is a family tradition. According to… Continue reading Traditions and Heritage

Flying to Finland to visit my Grandmother’s birthplace

In July of last year my husband and I flew to Finland to visit my grandmother’s birthplace and to attend a family reunion. We had a nonstop flight on Finnair from Chicago to Helsinki Finland. Relatives met us at the airport. My grandmother’s travel to the United States was much more arduous. She traveled by… Continue reading Flying to Finland to visit my Grandmother’s birthplace

The Church in Turku

Every Friday the FMF community writes for five minutes on a prompt given by Kate Motaung. To visit this inspiring community of writers, click here. Today’s prompt is: PLACE While we were in Finland we visited Turku, a beautiful old city. It was the “capitol” of Finland when Finland was under Swedish rule. Rising above… Continue reading The Church in Turku