I changed my plans. Yesterday I wrote that I planned to attend service in the Andries church in Amerongen. Instead I visited my cousin, Hans van Ommen, in Deventer. It is about an hour’s drive from here. The old Hansa city is on the IJssel River and I passed it on “Fleetwood” last September. But the river is 4 times as wide and runs at twice the current, compared to last September.

I went to 10.30 mass at the Maria Koningin (Mary Queen) Church in Deventer. A very attractive building. The sermon was on the second reading Corinthians 12, a wonderful lesson about Love. The gospel was on Jesus being kicked out of Nazareth. From Luke 4. “No prophet is accepted in his own home town”. I had a similar experience when I showed up at my home town yacht club meeting when I came back there the first time after two and a half years and having sailed every ocean to discover that they could not care less.  Here, far away from home. I have had a total different reception. I guess that qualifies me as a prophet. And I’ll try walking on water, next.

The priest was father Joachim Skiba. A very good and clear homily, with a slight Polish accent. My cousin is four years younger and I stayed with his family for a while while my mother was in German prisons/concentration camps. His father was a long time member of the yacht club in Amsterdam where I recently became a member. We have not seen much of each other in the years since and we enjoyed the visit and are making up for lost time.