This week we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Netherlands. It’s a double celebration for me as a first generation Dutch-Canadian. First of all I celebrate my roots which has given me the tenacious and determined attitude which exemplify the Dutch people. I celebrate, what some people may call stubbornness, because I know that with a ‘never give up’ attitude, I will achieve my dreams. Secondly I celebrate the Canadian generousness of spirit. Remembering the courageous men and women who left their homes to liberate the Netherlands makes me stand a little taller; makes me choke with emotion; makes me glad to know that my parents were inspired to come and make Canada their new home. Yes. I celebrate.
If a photo ever described that Dutch situation and attitude from 70 years ago, it is this one of my mother taken in April 1945. Where this big chunk of wood came from is a mystery, but cutting it down to size would mean the difference between cooking or not so Mom was determined to ‘never give up.’
In my book Family Business, the Meyer family go through some of these challenges. If you haven’t read the book yet, it is available for purchase through amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/Family-Business-Renny-deGroot/dp/1494233231/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1406821822&sr=8-1 )
If you have read it, I’d appreciate your support with a review. I’ve submitted the book for the Kobo Emerging Writer Award and part of the judging criteria is ‘reader engagement’. You’ll need to sign up for a kobo account (no cost – just take a second to create a username and password). Here’s the link: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-CA/ebook/family-business-10
Thank you!