"Heerlijk" and "Lekker"

I won’t bore you with the pronunciation, but “heerlijk” = delicious and “lekker” = yummy. The German speakers will recognize the latter and may even know about the Dutch and their wierd use of the word. You see, the Dutch can say almost anything is “lekker”. Before going to bed you say to one another, “Sleep ‘lekker’.” If you hit the tennis ball or baseball in just the right way, then you have hit it ‘lekker’. And still, a meal can also be ‘lekker’.

- a 'lekker' nap -

‘Heerlijk’ is a step up from ‘lekker’, just as delicious is a step up from yummy. And just as with ‘lekker’, you can use it for almost anything. When I took Nel and Willemien home after our Saturday “Family Reunion” – which was a time to be together as a Christian family and learn from each other’s expreriences in life – they both said it had been a ‘heerlijk’ day. Mind you, the weather had been ‘heerlijk’ as well, but they meant the fellowship. We spent time listening to Jim and Ruth Krumrei, long-tme missionaries in Haarlem (and Karl Verheijen’ parents, and Scott’s previous supervisors when he spent two years as an apprentice in the Netherlands), as they answered some questions about how God has influenced their lives. It was ‘heerlijk’ to hear their stories and to learn from their wisdom.

- enjoying wisdom -

This morning at the beginning of our worship time together, Nel said that she had slept so ‘lekker’ after such a wonderful time. She enjoys being able to eat with so many people, instead of being alone. We had a ‘heerlijk’ barbecue. Isn’t it great how God puts us into a family! Just like most families it’s not always perfect – how would we ever learn if everything were always perfect – but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. As a matter of fact, my family is everywhere in the world! That is a ‘heerlijk’ thought!

- Nel enjoying the 'heerlijk' pictures -