The Gift that Keeps on Giving

 It was the best day of my life......I knew God and I together had said "I do" to a gift which would change my life......but I didn't truly understand how big that gift was....10 years later I began to understand.....20 years...30 years....40 years.... 50 years.....every decade I have seen that gift grow and enhance my life more and more and more....more than words can ever express.

When I said yes ......I was grafted into a family who had its roots in Germany..... had started their family in North Dakota....a family who was no stranger to hard work....a family who operated as a team....a family who navigated across America, taking advantage of new opportunity.... new territory.....turning unused acres into beautiful farm land….with much muscle power and water from the Grand Coulee Dam project.

Over the years I have come to understand the dynamics of the Hintz name……and the integrity of the Hintz members…..the parents…..the siblings….and their engrafted mates.  When Don and I decided to move across the U S to the Northwest we arrived to find a cute little rented home….completely furnished….everything we needed right down to the vacuum cleaner….and a freezer to store all the wonderful produce grown around us….a house ready for us to move into…..as well as a job to provide our living.  My husband’s siblings and their spouses had gone to bat for the youngest member of their family. This was the beginning of realizing what a tremendous GIFT I had been provided.....wrapped in the love of my husband…..tied with the ribbon of God’s approval…..and the inside filled with love and acceptance of an extended family which has grown and become more precious over the years.

Don believed in the importance of keeping the integrity of your name….he often shared this fact with our girls.  The truth of this statement became very clear one day when I was in Safeway in Moses Lake trying to pay with a check. Because we now lived in Western WA, the clerk was not allowed to take my check.  She called for the manager…..he stood looking at the check…..and then said, “So you are a Hintz….are you related to the Hintz’s in this area?”  When I responded, “Yes, my husband is the youngest brother to Helmut, Rudy and Hiller”…….he handed the check to the cashier and said, “This check will be fine.”  This was a visual lesson to Don’s teaching, “A good name is more desirable than great riches.” (Proverbs 22:1). I was never so grateful to have the gift of the Hintz name.

Yesterday, my family and I attended the 25^th anniversary of Don’s brother, Helmut and his sweet wife, Myrtle Isaac Hintz. They both have been married for more than 50 years…..with the combination of their deceased mates and then with each other. I sat there listening to their children from both sides… one by one….sharing how their parent’s union had positively impacted them and their families.  We listened as the nine children and their mates….and then all the grandchildren sang beautiful songs about God’s faithfulness and love. I marveled how all the members of this family had worked together to present a beautiful decorated room…..wonderful food……a touching program……along with videos, pictures and clothing from their wedding. Helmut and Myrt have demonstrated to us how love of God, love for each other, and love for their combined families stays strong…even when health challenges have changed the course of their lives.

Helmut is the last of the Hintz siblings…floods of tears have flowed as we have grieved the death of many family members over the years.  We’ve always pulled together…upholding each other…..putting our love into action.  The family continues to grow… over 160 from the six siblings….and well over 200 with the members of step families……we are so blessed.  We don’t have the opportunity to all get together much anymore…..a few celebrations of milestones along the way……but I’m thankful for Facebook where we keep updated on happenings in each other’s lives.  Most of all I’m thankful for the privilege of prayer…..a way we can all connect….lift each other up…..share in the sweet times and the hard times….be there for each other……even at a distance. And “..I will utter hidden things, things from of old…what we have heard and known, what our fathers have told us.  We will not hide them from their children; we tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power and the wonders He has done.” (Psalm 78:2-4 NIV).

 

Yes, when I said “I do” with my precious husband, I gained a gift which has enriched my life over the years…..the Hintz family has helped to increase my understanding that….”The LORD is good, and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:5 NIV)