school was a girls only Grammar School. Over its entrance door was an
inscription reading “Feed my lambs”, why in town it was called the ‘Lambs
Pen’.
It was officially ‘The Evangelical Daughters Institute’, and it gave me not only
spiritual guidance but friends for life. This May I am going to meet up with
them for the 60 th anniversary of our Abitur (our school graduation). During
the first year at University I had to learn Ancient Greek, because I studied
Latin. Next to me in that course sat a young man who became a protestant
parson and also a friend for life, who influenced me greatly with his
explanations of Christian faith and doctrine and with the sermons he
preached. He was a great Old Testament Scholar.
I always wanted to be a teacher. My first full time job after teacher’s training
was in South Wales at Atlantic College, that wonderful place at St Donat’s
Castle. Just to be there was a great blessing, and it was there where I met
David. We were married at St Donat’s Church, and our first child, Hannah,
was baptised there on 30 December 1967. It was the last day that I saw my
mother, and a great joy and blessing that she could hold this first grandchild.
She returned to Germany the next day and died in 1968. Our other two
children were born at home in our first house in West Bridgford, Nottingham.
My neighbour there was Valerie, my friend and god-mother to Rose.
We moved fairly frequently in our married life, next to Burgh by Sands,
Carlisle. The bishop of Carlisle officially welcomed me into the Anglican
Church, as I was by then on the Vestry of St Michael’s. The village was a
lovely Christian community, the Sunday School and youth club run by our
neighbour Annemarie, who had been in Uganda with missionaries and
adopted three black children in addition to her own five. It was such a happy
time for the entire family.
Next we moved to Peasenhall in Suffolk, I once was asked why we would
have moved to that place, and I remember answering: God brought me here
so that I could meet Jack, that remarkable vicar of the village church. Two of
my children were confirmed there, all three went to Framlingham High
School where I taught until retirement in1995. We had thought of moving,
‘once more to spread our wings’, to a place much different from the village
life, which we had had for so many years and which could give us many
interests in old age – Glasgow! That was a great surprise of all our friends
and family. This is how we came to St Oswald’s, a church which welcomed
us and where we are now ‘at home’. And with that Church family and our
children, their spouses and our 7 grandchildren, we celebrated our Golden
Wedding, and Leslie-ann made this first Eucharist after her Licensing very
special for us., and ‘Now thank we all our God’ was sung, as it had been at
our wedding. Thank you St Oswald’s!
There were so many Blessings in my life: Thanks Be to God!
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