Jan (“Mrs. De Haan”) played an important, nurturing part of my life during some key junior high and high school yearswhen I needed a "Mom,” following my own mother’s death when I was 12. Actually, the whole De Haan family played an important “home away from home” role for me during this time. On countless occasions, I was encouraged to stay for dinner after spending time at the family's Goss Street home.
I have a key memory of Jan when she drove David to my house, so that he could spend a weekend with my family at Newport Beach, where we often went. I had just completed a first year (sixth grade) at Village Christian Schools, while dealing with my mom’s illness, so this must have been early summer 1978, when I was 12 and David was 11. David was unsure about being away from his own family in a new environment, and I distinctly remember Jan very calmly reassuring him (and my own mom) that everything would be OK for him. It is a sweet memory.
In more recent years, I really enjoyed the times that I got to see Jan and Frank and get caught up with each other’s lives, now relating as adults. Looking back though, I see such warmth and patience with Jan, much like my sixth grade memory of her.
--Jeff Masino
No comments:
Post a Comment