Belonging

Winnipeg Folk Festival

The other day Phil and I spent the evening at the Winnipeg Folk Festival.  For those of you not from the prairies, the Winnipeg Folk Festival is an annual event, that features a variety of folk music artists from around the world as well as local artists performing in front of an outdoor audience of tens of thousands.  It was my first time and I loved it!  

Alex with the cousins

It was evident that I didn’t share all of the same values and lifestyle with many in the audience, but the focus was not on our differences but the great music, the people we were with (in our case Phil’s younger brother and his family) and the magic that is part of a beautiful summer evening.

I’ve often wondered what it means to belong. Have I ever belonged somewhere?

I grew up as an American kid in France. I married Phil, a Canadian who grew up in 

Celebrating Germany's World Cup win!!!

Germany, we fell in love in Switzerland, got married in the US and together had 3 children in a beautiful mountain village in the Alps of Austria.  With an international, mixed up background like the one we have, is it even possible to belong?

                

Rollkuchen & Watermelon 

So this year, living in Steinbach, Manitoba, a mostly Mennonite community where if your last name is either Penner, Wiebe, Epp, Friesen, Reimer, Loewen, …..or Peters, you are definitely connected and belong,  has been very different. This state of belonging is new for me. The “third-culture-kid” side of me might tend to feel boxed in by this, but there is a side of me that finds comfort in it, and enjoys all that comes with that “being a part of”: things like family reunions, eating wareneki and farmer sausage, or rollkuchen and watermelon on a hot summer day. Or feeling like you are related to almost everybody and going to a church, which emphasizes loving Jesus, others and living a life of simplicity and peace.

The contrast of the strong connectivity of belonging to a cultural heritage and the “free, everything goes” of an evening at the Folk Festival pretty much sums up how I have experienced this year in Canada. 

The large, open expanse of the prairies, with the population density of 2 people/sq.km  seems to welcome a diverse group of people with a free “come as you are, you are welcome here” spirit .  On the other hand, the close, strong relationship you can have with your “heritage group” gives you a feeling of balance and a place to anchor yourself, so as to not get lost in these endless prairies.

A farewell gift from the church "mission sisters"

Thank you to all those this year who have let us come as we are….we are a “strange breed”; our mixed up Euro/Can/US background, the choice to live a life based on our faith in God, and  being spokes-people for the work we feel called to do may have felt like an imposition to some of you at times. We’re sorry if this is the case.  We have been truly enriched and blessed by you.  Thank you for your acceptance, time, listening ear and your actions that many times have spoken much louder than words (just got a phone call from someone wanting to drop off some pizza for tonight’s supper). We hope that in connecting with you we have encouraged you along your road as we also have been encouraged by you. We truly have enjoyed belonging.