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Show May 1 03.qxd 12/7/2021 Page 12 3:59 PM Page 12 THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Volume VIII Issue II May 1, 2003 Amazing Grace By Drienie Hattingh Dis heerlike Lenteâ! Die winter’s verbyâ! Weer nooi berge en klowe vir jou en vir myâ! It’s glorious spring! The winter’s gone! The Mountains and canyons invite us again! It was a glorious spring morning when Johan and I walked into our garage on our way to our usual Saturday rendezvous—our breakfast date. This time we were going to ducks glided over the pond on the golf course, rippling the perfect reflection of the snowcapped Ben Lomond. That was when one of my favorite Afrikaans songs floated to the top of my mind. Dis heerlike lenteâ! Die winter’s verbyâ! Weer nooi berge en klowe vir jou en vir myâ! We used to sing this song about the joys of spring in school in South Africa. During Music class we gathered around our teacher who played the piano. We did not have a band in South Africa. We just sang songs for half an hour—no instruments, no tuition. I loved it. There’s nothing like singing out loud—not caring if you keep note or not—to get rid of tensions and frustrations that other The beautiful mountains above Wolf Creek Golf Course. Photo courtesy of Dreinie Hattingh. the General Store. I opened the garage door classes caused . . . like bookkeeping! Perhaps but could not get into the car. The sounds of that was the whole purpose of this class—now gurgling streams and chirping birds were too that I think back—to make us relax. inviting. I had to experience it and inhale the We sang “Dis heerlike lenteâ!” in fresh mountain air on this heavenly morning. September when spring arrived. In South I stepped outside and, as usual, the surround- Africa, on the other side of the world, spring ing alp-like mountain majesty took my breath comes in September. But on this beautiful away. The sun was bright in the deep blue morning I stood admiring springtime in sky with candy floss clouds surrounding the Eden, Utah. In April, spring in the upper snowcapped mountains. The foothills were Ogden Valley is unlike any spring we’ve ever green—a translucent emerald green that experienced. One is so aware of new reminded me of Ireland. growth—of rebirth. The trees were covered in new growth, This being our second spring here in the and lilies and other perennials were pushing Valley, we knew what to expect. We were through the moist earth in our yard. Mallard looking forward to the bright green moun- tains and rushing mountain streams, and all the wonderful things that come to the Valley during this time of year. On our way to the General store, Johan and I saw children flying their colorful kites at Wolf Creek, and when we drove past Pineview Reservoir, yellow canoes glided on the glistening deep blue water. All the way to the store we saw signs of spring. The robins were back, trees were turning green, and people were cycling, horseback riding, and fishing. Our windows were down and the spring air was soft on our arms. Our little dog, Corrie, had his head out the window, ears blowing in the wind, sniffing the air, tail wagging. We parked at the General Store and smiled looking at the children gathering Easter Eggs at Eden Park. Their happy laughter echoed through the bright morning. Inside the store, while we sipped coffee, waiting for our order, my eyes drifted over to a table in the corner where a young couple with their three children sat. They laughed and kidded each other, and I could not help but to recall Johan and me, 16 or 17 years ago, with our three children. Now they were far, far away—all grown up, living their own lives. It reminded me of a quote I read the previous day from Robert Finch in the Ideals’ spring issue magazine. “To a certain extent we raise a garden as we might a child; putting in the seed; nourishing it and gathering nourishment from it; pruning and weeding its growth, protecting it, loving it, worrying over it.” On the same day, Rob, new friend, called and a warm feeling took hold of me when he wished us well “in this time of new growth and rebirth.” Sunday morning at church all of what I experienced the previous days—Robert Finch’s quote, Rob’s warm wishes, and that lovely Saturday morning with Johan, the thoughts of our family and the way we were, came full circle as we sang Amazing Graze. It is by God’s amazing grace that we have all of this. God’s only Son, the beauty of spring, the time Johan and I spend together, the time we have and had with our children as they grew, wonderful new friends, and the gift of this lovely piece of land between the mountains—our own Valley. In Honor of Those Who Serve Specialist Brett Rollo is with the National Guard 489th Construction Unit, out of Murray. He has been deployed for about 2.5 months. He found out he was going to the Middle East in the last week of November, and that same day we went out and bought Arabic software so he could learn Arabic. He has since made many friends from Bangladesh, Egypt, and Kuwait. They get a kick out of hearing him speak their language to them. Specialist Brett Rollo Brett has been with the Army National Guard since November 1997. Brett is the husband to Mandy; father to Shannon, Joshua and Cassidy; son to Jan and Wayne (all of Huntsville); and grandson to Alden and Verda (previously of Huntsville). I’m quite proud of my sweetheart. He’s doing a great job out there. God bless our President and our troops! Go USA! In Honor of Those Who Serve The OGDEN VALLEY NEWS would like to highlight and honor a local serviceman or woman in each edition of the paper. Please send information of family members who are serving in the Armed Forces or National Guard, and photo if possible, to: OGDEN VALLEY NEWS,PO BOX 130 EDEN UT 84310 Or email to: crwendell@att.net or shannafrancis@att.net Subscriptions available for out of area residents at $18.00 annually. Send payment with mailing address to: THE OGDEN VALLEY NEWS P O BOX 130 EDEN UT 84310 2580 N. HIGHWAY 162, EDEN UT 940-4040 FOR ALL YOUR OGDEN VALLEY REAL ESTATE NEEDS dickdixon@att.net Dick Dixon Visit www.dickdixon.org Associate Broker 940-4040 VALLEY RESIDENT & SPECIALIST |
