A Wind of Memories
by Aukje Huitema

---

This is a story about some exciting happenings in Aukje's childhood. They are memories that seemed to have guided her in her learning and questioning of life events as they happened year by year in the growing up time on her family farm. Aukje says, “I can only think that the emotions that accompanied these ‘epiphanies’ gave me great inner strength and ultimately, joy. These quiet moments as well as all the games we played together gave me the insight to adventure as the years went by.” A Wind of Memories ends with the story of the birth of Aukje's own children because this was the brand new start of a new life – and perhaps another story.

---

Aukje was born in Holland and came to Canada with her family, nine siblings and mom and dad in 1951. Three more siblings came along in the next few years. She grew up on a dairy farm and had a great childhood with her twelve brothers and sisters. They walked to school, skated on a pond, played in the creek, took piano lessons, picked a field of beans the first few summers, washed and cleaned their home, helped their mom bake now and then and helped with the harvest. Aukje even learned how to drive a tractor up and down the barn bank. Aukje then moved onto high school and a teacher’s career. She took time out to travel to Europe, eventually got married and moved to Montreal. Later, her and her husband raised their family and continued with their careers in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. Aukje's credentials include a Teachers' College Certificate from Stratford, Ontario; a Degree in Fine Arts, from Concordia in Montreal; and five courses towards a post graduate education, from McGill and Bishops University. What joy!

---

Contributors

Author

Aukje Huitema

---