Timmermanns and Me

I enjoy driving down country roads.  Actually, I enjoy riding along while someone else drives down country roads so I can look around and not endanger myself, cattle, deer, etc.  One of my favorites is staring out the window when rows of crops are perpendicular to the road and I can see down each of them for a fraction of a second.  It’s stunning, visually.

That said, I enjoyed the drive out to the Timmermann’s property.  It was a lot like the drive out to my grandparent’s ranch.  The Timmermann’s are from the Canyon Lake and Clear Springs area.  Mine is from the Medina Lake and Castroville area.

The story of Curtis and Dorothy is a fun one.  The first time Curtis picked up Dorothy for a date, over 60 years ago now, he drove his truck through cedar trees to get back to her family’s property.  He thought for sure he was lost, but he found her.  She lived on a ranch that is now partly underwater.  The Army Corps of Engineers designed the lake to take over a good portion of their property.  Imagine one of your favorite places to play as a child.  Now imagine it at the bottom of a lake.  Changes things, doesn’t it?

As Dorothy and Curtis dove into their personal history, I couldn’t help but think about my own grandfather’s stories about Medina Lake.  When Curtis talked of driving through cedar trees I envisioned driving through my grandfather’s property in Medina.  When Dorothy talked of meeting Curtis during a game weekend at Texas A&M I could feel the College Station air, and recalled the excitement of being that age and bringing dates into Kyle Field.  ”I’ve been there,” I thought.  Her family was instrumental in bringing the telephone company to the Canyon Lake area.  I was reminded a few weeks ago a great great grandfather of mine had the first telephone company in my hometown.  Really?  Whose family is this?

The discussion progressed into their marriage, stories of their children as they grew, family favorites, and then life after kids.  When I begin a StoryKeeping session I have a general idea of the topics, but I try to keep questions and topics open-ended so the end result covers the subjects that are most important to them.  The more I disappear the better, because this is when their personality, heart, and desires truly shine.  This is the good stuff.

As I sat at Curtis and Dorothy’s dinner table in a humble ranch home, standing proud among acres upon acres of farm land, this couple that would soon be celebrating their 60th Wedding Anniversary began to tell me of their travels.  This couple certainly escaped the cedar thickets of Canyon Lake.  They’ve been all across the map.  But they didn’t just observe the countryside, they conquered as they went along as evidenced by their multiple skiing adventures.  My mind wanders to my own family’s adventures traveling to the East and West coasts, and watching my own father wipe out skiing.  But the journey doesn’t stop there.

We had such a great time during out StoryKeeping session Curtis and Dorothy invited me to their 60th Wedding Anniversary celebration a couple weeks after the session.  Their grandson, and great friend of mine, Dustin, had sponsored their StoryKeeping session as a surprise for them and the rest of their family.  We unveiled a copy for each of the family members over lunch.  I was so honored to play a role in.  It was great to see their children and grandchildren’s eyes light up as they got their surprise.  When lunch ended everyone went back to their respective cars to make the drive over to grandma and grandpa’s house.  CDs were popped in and the Timmermann’s began to learn even more about their grandparents.  Even Curtis and Dorothy learned about each other during the recording, so I can only imagine all the surprises for the rest of the family.

As we settled into the couches I got to know the rest of the Timmermann family.  Curtis & Dorothy take great pride in their children and grandchildren, and I quickly found out why.  One granddaughter spoke of going through the process of adopting a child.  This young lady just graduated college!  Really?  I’m nowhere near having children much less having the heart or responsibility necessary to adopt one.  Another granddaughter had just returned from Korea and China where she was an English teacher and professor.  Good Lord.  I’ve only been to Mexico, and I’d be lucky to pass an English exam these days much less teach the language I butcher on a daily basis.  I was reminded of my own sister who has traveled across the globe, been in Fortune magazine, and continues to amaze me.  Her, and my little brother who joins her in Los Angeles this summer, and my little sister who is blazing her own trail as well.  There must’ve been something in the lake water 60 years ago, because Curtis and Dorothy’s family has made an impact across the globe, just as mine has.

After this experience, I can’t help but catch myself thinking, “Now, whose family is this again?”  The parallels are uncanny at times.  We just come from lakes on opposite sides of San Antonio.

Each row of crops looks the same from the road when you’re driving past them, but each blade and stalk is unique.  I love doing StoryKeeping sessions, because I get to ride shotgun as people drive me through the highlights of their lives.  Collectively, with their stories and my efforts in pulling it all together, the result is stunning!