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
Category: Finland
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
The Birth in Bethlehem
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 God’s amazing design is before us in the birth of Jesus. Jesus did not enter our world as an adult. He came as an… Continue reading The Birth in Bethlehem
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
Where the Reindeer Run Free
This past summer my husband and I traveled to Finland. We visited the village where my grandmother grew up, north of the artic circle. We enjoyed seeing the pristine forests, rivers and lakes. And we saw reindeer roaming freely. They graze in the forests, fields and even in yards adjacent to cabins. The lichen growing… Continue reading Where the Reindeer Run Free
The Midwife’s Story
A number of years ago I read an article about a Finnish midwife. In 1909 she had been at the center of a court case, determining the legality of midwifery in Massachusetts. She had been arrested a number of times (despite the fact that her statistics for live births were better than most doctors practicing… Continue reading The Midwife’s Story
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