11/11/2025
🔸A Remembrance Day Reflection
🔸Each year around this time, I find myself reflecting and tearing up — as I always have, and always will.
🔸My family remembers, and we will never forget. We are here in Canada because of my grandparents and their involvement in WWII, along with the sacrifices of countless Canadians and our allies who fought for freedom.
🔸I was fortunate to grow up with my grandparents, who immigrated from Holland after the war, crossing the ocean with only a few belongings and a great deal of hope. My grandfather began a new life here as a butcher, working tirelessly to provide for his family and passing on his incredible work ethic to the next generation of Hogeterps.
🔸For much of my life, I didn’t know what my Pake (grandfather) endured during the war, or how my Beppe (grandmother) courageously found ways to see him amidst the uncertainty — a story of true love and resilience. It wasn’t until my teenage years that I began hearing small glimpses of what they had experienced.
🔸Life was difficult for them during those years. Living in the countryside, they relied on what they could grow and trade — at one point, my Pake even bartered a barrel of fat to buy a wedding ring. Another family member risked crossing enemy lines to smuggle potatoes to others — one of my favourite stories to this day. Growing up, I may have had more than my fair share of Dutch potatoes, but now I look back on those memories with gratitude and never take our abundance of food for granted.
🔸Over time, I also learned more about my Oma and Opa on my mom’s side. They too faced unimaginable challenges during the war. My Opa, a shoemaker, was once confronted by German soldiers at gunpoint and ordered to repair a leather bridle. They lived in constant fear, often hiding from danger, yet managed to survive through courage, skill, and faith.
🔸These stories — of both sets of grandparents — continue to emerge, each one a testament to their resilience, strength, and quiet beauty. I’m deeply proud of them, and I carry their lessons of compassion, perseverance, and gratitude with me every day.
-Sharlene Hogeterp Louden-CareOwner
🇨🇦
