13 years ago today

A quiet cuddle to celebrate our 13th year anniversary of meeting after the many visits of the past days. This is how we used to fall asleep every night - tell me, what could replace this?

Today we met Helena and knew what divinity means. Dear friend, artist and magus, Sebastian Holzhuber, brought along his muse, to help us celebrate our 13th year anniversary of meeting. Martijn was one of Sebastian's earliest models for his unique tribal art works. He brought Martijn a book of his collected works including the 'banquet series' where Martijn first posed.  Sebastian conducts rituals to help individuals make transitions through art and creativity.  

Yvonne, Dorothé , Fulco, and Aad flank Martijn. These friends go back 30 years to when Martijn was a member of the Pax Christie walking group. Last year Aad and Martijn helped to arrange a 30 year anniversary for their group and were astounded and pleased when everyone showed up!

Martijn and I met at his apartment in the Eastern Haborlands of Amsterdam 13 years ago today on June 1st. It's a wonderful story of coincidence and irony that forged a bond that's not been broken since that day. An important link in our chain is the Chizek/Frederick families of Iowa. Rob Chizek was my best friend during this time of my life and through me he ended up staying with Martijn. When I arrived in Amsterdam Rob and I stayed at Martijn's flat. The very first week I was there Rob's sister Nancy Frederick, husband David and then teenage children, Tanna and Nate, arrived for their first trip ever to Europe. We held a two-day party at Martijn's. Nancy wrote to us this evening. Here is her account of those days:

Dear Suze and Martijn,

Suzie, your poem was absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing it.

I have been wanting to write both of you for some time to tell you how much you are in my thoughts and in my heart. I love your blog site........it is so wonderful for me to know what is happening in your lives and all of your thoughts and feelings as you pass through these transitions. Again, I thank you for being so generous as to share yourselves with me.

Though our paths have crossed only occasionally in the last few years, I still think about the memories I have with the two of you and I will embrace those forever.

Martijn, I still think about how kind and warm you were to open up your home and your heart to David, Tanna, Nathaniel and I when we came to Amsterdam! I remember you greeting us at the door of your "flat" in Amsterdam and giving us those wonderful, cozy slippers to wear...I felt so nurtured and welcome. And how you provided a wonderful party for us and we drank every bottle of wine you owned and had a marvelous time! I remember eating the herring and you showing us how to let them slide down our throats and them follow them with a bit of spirits. And I remember how you graciously escorted us on the bus back to our hotel at 5 am because you were concerned we wouldn't be able to find our way back on our own.......which was very true. And I will never forget how your little Suzie frog looked at you that night at the party and exclaimed, "You look like someone I could have really gone for in the 60's!" (or something to that effect). Anyway, that seemed to be the beginning of your beautiful relationship...it was wonderful to be a part of that. Thank you.

Something else that I wanted to tell you Martijn is that I don't think in my 57 years of life that I have met a person as warm and caring and gentle as you....you epitomize what Abraham Maslow would describe as "self-actualized". I have always wanted to be able to honor someone with that term of "self-actualization" and now I can. Of course you are also very humble so will not accept the title......but to me the title is yours. I thank you for sharing your beautiful mind and spirit with me and all of my family over the years, Martijn...how very fortunate for us to have had you in our lives!

May this precious time that you and Suzie are sharing be filled with the splendor of life and the tenderness of love!

Please take care.

Much love and admiration,

Nancy

Nancy, thank you for the best anniversary gift of all.