HELENīS STORY
It was with much thought we decided to
come to
three years, since I found out that our family in the
living relatives there. This was found out by my niece's father-in-law in
Alabama, when he began a genealogical search on the web.He put me
touch with Jari
Hakli' who's grandmother's mother and my grandmother were sisters.
Sigfrid(F) Huttunen and Helena (F) Huttunen. It soon happened that
in
July of 2004
Jari was coming to the states for two weeks training for a new job.
We
traveled to pick him up on Saturday morning and return him on
Sunday
night, for two
weekend when he was off for the weekend from the work training.
Thus became knowledge and pictures of relatives on my father's side thru
Terttu Kauranen and such a big family away in
limited knowledge of. My uncles, Emil, Evert, Matt and Aunt
father Herman Mattson. My father died when I was 2 years old of a
hunting
accident. Soon with in one year, last year, 2005 in late June and July
two cousins
were coming to the
stay at our home! It was wonderful!
Than all of a sudden talk of a family reunion, held every two years, and the
question, would we come? I was a bit nervous, would we feel
welcomed, would
we feel comfortable, not being able to speak any Finn. Only Hei,
Hei-Hei,and kiitos and poika from my brother. Knowing Terttu now well,
trusting her
completely, she said she would handle everything, driving, arrangements, and
planning. Which she did in such a wonderful, so fulfilling manner,
that I felt
loved as a sister and best friend, both my husband, and myself and three
other members of family from the
Our visit was everything that I imagined in my mind. Sauna's of my
uncles'
homes in Vermont and Maine, white birch trees, flowers in bloom, lupines
along the roads, wild strawberries, music, dancing, singing, long
hardy laughing
and giggles brought me to familiar scenes of family, and yet we were in
Finland, and it felt like home at my aunt's and uncles homes. The
lakes, the
rolling hills, hay fields, green fields, the smell of wood burning the flowers
were all I had dreamed of and the saunas, and being in a sauna.
What surprised me was the ladders to the roof tops to clean the chimneys,
that stay there all year long, the cleanliness of the roadsides and the cities
and towns and villages. I hate litter, and I saw none, this made me very
proud to be a Finn, as I have always taught our sons to respect nature and the
earth to remember we are only keepers of God's land, that he allows us to use
as our own. We are just caretakers of earth. So seeing a clean
very proud. Still prouder was I to be welcomed as we were into a
big family
of Pajari's, my father's homeland, homeland of both my grandparents on my
father's side, and also my grandmother on my mother's side also
born
in Finland.
Eating was a wonderful experience as well, coffee lovers, my
husband and I
were delighted to have such good brewed coffee. Deserts, strawberry
short
cakes, also with bananas and peaches and real whipped cream. My
delight over
fresh fish meals and most of all a new fondness of
brown spots, and cream of mushroom soup with smoked reindeer, was a most
wonderful delight!! I do believe there must be some
within me!
I could not ask for any finer tastes to delight something missing in my
life.
Arvo and Helena, Terttu, Taimi, Lea, you Anja and everyone we visited and
saw in your homes made us feel most welcome and invited into your life to
experience the true Finnish spirit, just like a good sauna for a tired
soul and
body, it welcomed and refreshed us with a new spirit. My husband,
Bob, and I,
Helen Ahearn, thank you, so deeply for your kindness, hospitality, and
welcome to us as your Finnish-American cousin.Sincerely, Helen