VISITING HEINER AND ULLA
After a good breakfast I went to church at 10 by myself. It was confirmation Sunday, what a number of teenage children becoming members of the church. But being confirmed as church members is a much bigger deal in Germany than in the United States. It is a rite of passage from childhood to adulthood and involves a year or more of confirmation classes and a demonstration of understanding the Bible and the beliefs of the church. Each child was called up and read a Bible verse of their choice. Each was given a rose with their parents standing behind them. All of them were dressed up in their Sunday best with some of the boys wearing a uniform of sorts.
The choir sang a number of upbeat songs, some of them in English. A very lively young woman pastor encouraged them.
Later Elke told me that fewer and fewer families attend church and encourage their children to be confirmed. The church was jammed with parents and relatives. The previous week when Elke went with me the church was only one third full with almost everyone over 60. I had the feeling that the service was almost a desperate attempt to hang onto young people.
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When my wife Kathe was a girl confirmation class and entering the church was something every young person did and she remembered it fondly. Now it seems a dying tradition.
In the afternoon Elke, Heinrich and I went to visit Ulla and Heiner Hemme and their son Jens and adopted daughter, Ilya. Heiner Hemme, now retired and in his 80‘s, was in the construction business and has a beautiful big house. His wife Ulla has a huge garden which she is no longer able to maintain herself and now needs helpers.
Ulla, Elke and Kathe were best friends, always together through their school years. Ulla brought out photographs of the girls together which I am including here including a few of their school visits to Hernum, a pilgrimage I made a few days ago. Heiner and Heinrich told stories of the old Winsen and their school years.
Two days before Kathe died of pancreatic cancer three years ago, she suddenly revived and was full of life. Susie and I Facetimed Elke. Elke was out on a walk with Ulla. The three old friends connected and sang German songs together over Facetime. After the call Kathe collapsed and never revived again.
So the visit was a visit to the past of old friends, one gone and the other two in their mid eighties with health problems. It was a bittersweet visit.
After some marvelous cakes that Ulla had made, and coffee and wine, we went to Jens‘s studio, their artist son, and looked at the ceramics made in a Japanese style that he was preparing for an exhibit.
BILLYBABA’S WANDERING 