Douglas Hoff - Honoring Anna

HONORING
Anna

Annas true story of unyielding
faith, love, and honor

DOUGLAS HOFF

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HONORING ANNA

Copyright 2018 Douglas Hoff.

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ISBN: 978-1-5320-4195-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-4197-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5320-4196-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018903222

iUniverse rev. date: 06/16/2022

Contents

Even sitting here in her tiny two-room home made primarily of South Dakota sod, sandstone and granite rocks, Anna could close her eyes and dream, and pray. There were no windows, but she often would move her creaky oak rocking chair outside (when the weather permitted) and take in the windswept prairie landscape, scouting for rattlesnakes and wolves. Her thoughts sometimes took her back to her childhood in Norway and her voyage to America. And often to Rasmus. No matter how hard she tried to block him out he seemed to find a way to intrude, silently stealing her thoughts and replacing them with his.

Sometimes the memories took her to the worst day of her life, back in 1899, when her mother Karin died at the age of 30 bringing Annas brother Ole into the world. Anna knew, even at the age of 9, that her life would never be the same. Her mom had been her best friend, her teacher, her protector, her idol. She had taught Anna to always do her best and that girls could do as much as the boys could if they put their minds to it. She had taken Anna with her to church and had taught Anna that there were two sides of Jesus. He wasnt all law and authority, as the church had often preached with fire and brimstone. He was also love, and Anna could put her faith and trust in Him. Annas future would require a lot of this trust, an abundance of this faith.

Anna fondly remembered Karins cooking. She could still smell and taste the fresh pies, stews, and those special Norwegian pastries. If her Mom had fresh eggs, cream, and butter she could bring to life the most tasteless of vegetables and soups. Anna usually liked working outdoors better than in the house, but she was always happy to help Karin with her kitchen work.

Karin also taught Anna how to take care of a house and how to keep it organized and clean. She often said, A clean life and a clean home are two of the most important things that I can teach you. Even though their house in Norway was very small, with only three rooms, Karin kept it immaculate. The kitchen had one small table whereupon she prepared meals and the family ate. The bedroom that Karin and Annas father, Bjorn, shared had room for a bed and not much else. The other room, the childrens bedroom, was the same size, but it seemed smaller when crammed with Anna and her brothers and sisters. The banal house had two small windows and a large garden space, of which every inch was used. Karin had a green thumb, as did Bjorn, and gardening was one of the few things that they enjoyed doing together.

Anna also had enjoyed working in the garden and often stopped for a moment to enjoy the view. That view was the best part of their home, and Anna took it in with an intensity that almost felt surreal. Their home was located on an island in the North Sea, just off the coast and west of Bergen, Norway. From their garden Anna watched the waves rolling in off of the ocean, forming sculptures of foam that were continually being rearranged and re-sculpted.

All the way from her earthen and rock prairie home in South Dakota Anna could close her eyes and visualize it, and viscerally smell the salt water breeze. She could still see the ships and boats in the harbor and hear the men visiting excitedly as they worked on the docks. She had dreamt of the lands far away that those ships ventured to. She had watched the sea gulls land on the little wooden fence around the garden meant to keep the rabbits out, waiting for Anna to dig up a worm for them. Anna loved all animals, but the birds especially intrigued her. She envied their ability to fly off whenever they wanted and go wherever they desired.

Anna recalled her cherished trips to Bergen for supplies When her father would let her go along with him, which was seldom. These trips were great adventures to Anna, and they formed some of her fondest memories of Norway. She would help him load their small sailboat with everything that they thought would make some money for the family. Depending on the wind speed and direction and how rough the sea was they could usually make the trip in less than an hour. Anna was always a little apprehensive when the sea was angry and the giant waves pounded their boat, but her dad never seemed to notice. To her he almost seemed happier when the sea was a challenge so that he could prove his seamanship skills.

Upon arrival at the dock their first stop was always the huge fish market, where Bjorn would sell any fish that he had caught that morning. He fished almost every day, but he always went fishing early on the day of their trip to Bergen so that he would have a little extra cash from the fish salesif he caught any that morning. After selling his fish and Karins fresh butter and cream, Bjorn and Anna would roam the marketBjorn looking for bargains and Anna drooling at the sight and smell of the fresh baked bread and pastries, the fish stews and ready-to-eat dinners. Dozens of vendors sold everything from fishing supplies to food to clothing. Anna loved the colorful clothing and had dreamt of owning one of the woolen, hand-knitted Viking style head covers that tied under the chin and could keep you warm from the cold wind sweeping in off the ocean. To Anna, Bergen was both a wonder and a delight, although she didnt think that she could ever live in such a busy and huge place. Too many people and not enough animals for hershe liked the open spaces better.

Annas dad was strict and didnt have much use for Anna or her sisters. In his mind they were good for cooking and cleaning and not much else. He worked hard to put food on the table though, primarily from their small farm and garden and from his fishing trips into the North Sea. Bjorn definitely was a hard man, but Norway required that of him. Nothing came easy here, and a man in this country had to do things that men under other conditions couldnt imagine possible. Bjorn was up to the challenge, and he took care of his family, even loved them if someone could see under that tough Norwegian crust. He put Anna and her brother Peder to work cleaning the fish he brought home, keeping the good ones for market and the othersthose too small or undesirable to sellfor their table. When there were no fish to clean he would put the children to weeding the rows of vegetables and grain on their small, stony farm. The ground seemed to have more rocks than dirt, but the rain was plentiful and the crops usually did well. Karin thanked God for that, since a good crop meant the difference between starving and having food on their table.