I am Indigenous
Article in Christian Courier: The parallels between indigenous peoples, like those in Canada or northern Holland, are significant. Up until a century ago, most lived modest, simple lives. They were people of the land, in tune with nature. They were industrious, sophisticated (for their time and place) and spiritual. They
Family History
It was a privilege for me to delve deeply into the lives of ‘Opa and Oma’ van der Laan in 2019, while editing and assembling the various writings and photos for the book "The van der Laan Venture" -- memoirs of my grandfather, but also of his wife and several
Harry van der Laan’s own story
An Improbable Trajectory. Harry van der Laan’s own story - Part 1: “… a little bit of fire” - 1936 – 1955
The Nature of Things
It is now already five years since the Christmas of 2016 when we last gathered fully as family in Niagara, some three months after Stiny de Jong's funeral. We were drawn together to hang on to that sense of belonging that only a matriarch can supply. We gathered for a
Forty Years
Forty years is a long time, by any stretch. For us, particularly, these back forty have felt like a lifetime, with two bookends - our trips to Europe in 1983 and 2023 (still to come).
Summer Quest 2023
In the summer of 2023, Wendy and Henry explored parts of Holland and Europe as well, before and after the van der Laan extended family reunion in Stadskanaal.
The van der Laan Venture (epub)
Memoirs of Harm and Dina van der Laan. A printed book made available here in an ePub viewer.
The van der Laan Venture (PDF)
Memoirs of Harm and Dina van der Laan. A printed book made available here in a PDF flip-book viewer.