The Lesson I Learned from My Grandfather

For Father's Day 2001, I am honoring the memory of my grandfather. He mesmerized me with his chanted stories, and he taught me the value of forgiveness. My maternal grandfather touched me in a way in which no other person has ever touched me. His stories were different from any I have ever heard, and they were chanted. The most important lesson which I learned from him was one which he himself did not learn until the last year of his life, a lesson which made life easier for me than it had been for him. I had the feeling that I was my Opa Gutknecht's favorite grandchild, because I was the only child who enjoyed listening to his stories, and if there is one thing which grandparents enjoy, it is telling stories. No one else had the time and inclination to appreciate his chants.

Living in Close Quarters

When World War II ended, we found ourselves under Russian occupation in what later became known as East Germany. We had one aim, and that was to get as far away from communism as possible. During the first post-war year, that was possible under one condition. Someone in the western part of Germany had to guarantee us shelter. So my father set out to find some relative, friend, or foe in the west who would do that for us, a family of 5. Whether through determination, through luck, or through a miracle, he did find my maternal grandparents in a little village in Lower Saxony. They had fled there in time to avoid contact with the invading Russian army. They had been assigned one single room in the village's "poorhouse," a building without running water and without a toilet. No one cared, as long as we were safe from the Russians. So my grandparents gave us shelter. Later, four more relatives joined us, my two uncles and my two older brothers who were returning from the war. That brought the grand total to 11 people in one room with one double bed, a table, a bench, three chairs, a kitchen cupboard, and a wood stove. One tiny window looked out onto a meadow, but I only dared to look through it when I happened to be alone in the room, because my body darkened the room. I spent as much time as possible outdoors, because playing in the meadow was more fun than looking at it. My little brother Hans, however, insisted on leaning out the window every chance he got, throwing the room into darkness.

The copyright of the article The Lesson I Learned from My Grandfather in Natural Health is owned by Traute Klein, biogardener. Permission to republish The Lesson I Learned from My Grandfather in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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