This morning I had a surprise phone call from Sweden. Miki recently had her passport stolen (a story I will tell on another day). She was able to get an emergency one from the US Embassy in Stockholm, but she does need to get her regular one replaced. However, she has been having a dreadful time convincing the US that she is one of their citizens. She assumed that she had lost the birth certificate that was issued when we adopted her, and since her married name is not the same, she could not come up with any legitimate documentation. She called me to ask if we still had the adoption documents. I pulled out our trusty green metal box and soon came up with a fat envelope of adoption papers. She wondered if I could try to get another birth certificate, that maybe here in the US they would believe me more than they were inclined to believe her.
All the while we were talking I kept thinking, "I vividly remember the birth certificate that was issued after the adoption, and I'm sure I have seen it more recently than when she got married and moved to Sweden in 1991." As we talked I kept leafing through all the important papers in that green box, and VIOLA!! There was the birth certificate!!! After we got over the relief of finding it, we had a good, good laugh as I read it to her. Later on Facebook she told me to scan it (cropping out the important numbers, of course) so that my blog readers could laugh along with us. See if you can find anything to laugh about on this birth certificate.
Dick and I didn't know we were having a baby back in 1966 right after we started "liking" each other, hahahahaha!!
And now my next laugh will be funny only to anyone who grew up Mennonite. Among Mennonites we do this thing called The Mennonite Game. When we meet someone who grew up Mennonite we just have to find out where they came from, what church did they go to, what school, who were their parents, grandparents, and on and on and on. We like to see if we can connect with them in some way. Well, someone wrote a song that totally captures the essence of The Mennonite Game. It's even sung in four-part harmony like we grew up with. Dick and I listened to it this evening and I just howled laughing. I just wish I could be in a room with all my sisters so we could listen to this together. Mennonites, please enjoy!!
The Mennonite Game mp3
The Mennonite Game mp3
4 comments:
The song is funny. It's not just the Mennonites - I great up Christian Reformed, which is a small denomination that has many churches in West Michigan. It's very similar in the way everyone knows one of your relatives!
Love the birth certificate too! (You two were so young) :)
That is so funny! I am glad you found her birth certificate.
It is amazing how the weather can be so different between State College and Lancaster. You live in the highlands, for sure.
I'm sorry the link to the song no longer works. I do have another link that works when I email it to people, but for some reason I was unable to get it to work when I tried to put it here on the blog. If you really want to hear it, email me at musicaljean@gmail.com and I'll send you the link.
So glad you forund the certificate.
I heard you mention playing Mennonite Games a few posts back. I had no idea what they were. So thanks for telling us. I thought they were something like reindeer games!
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