A Reminder of Home
from Sylvia Hoffmeyer
Lincoln Park has been a part of the life of my family for more years than I care to admit. Okay, 55 years! The wonderful thing is that in all those years, despite the other major changes in the Seattle area, the park has remained essentially the same. It’s remained a noble friend, a refuge, a connection with nature, visible evidence of the change of seasons, and a place to exercise, meet friends, walk the dogs, and relax.
My mother and father and I moved to West Seattle in about 1954. That was 4 years after we immigrated to the NW from Germany with a short sojourn in Milwaukee. My mother was very homesick for her ‘mountains and forests’ and I truly believe that Lincoln Park helped her to cope with the loss of her homeland, the loss of the landscape that defined her experience. In addition, I think that the park provided a respite and refuge for both of my parents from the worry and struggle that they faced as new immigrants in America.
Every weekend and many evenings we’d get in the car and drive to the park and then walk for an hour or two through the beautiful trees and gaze in appreciation at the Olympics across the Sound. It was never the same! Shades of grey, green, sunsets – it fed us. My favorite thing was the swings near the baseball field – unfortunately now taken down. My dad would push me higher and higher and I’d pretend that I was going to go all the way around over the top. It was thrilling for that shy, little girl. Years later, I was able to take my son to the park, too, and watch him play on ‘my’ swing and see him thrilled to pretend that he was going to go all the way over the top!
I left the Seattle area in my twenties but whenever I’d visit, one of the first questions I heard was always, “do you want to go for a walk in the park?” When I was away, I could easily imagine my mom and dad’s favorite bench and see them sitting there.
I lost my mom about 13 years ago and last year my dad passed away at the age of 98. Until just a year or so before he died, my dad would still go to the park every single day – rain or shine – literally! Even when it was really cold and nasty out, he told me he’d say to himself, “come on you lazy son of a gun, get out there.” I am positive that the park kept my dad active and moving and living longer – not only because of the exercise but for the good friends he made and the people and dogs he’d say hello to and who recognized him. It gave him a social connection and a place to tell his stories.
The last couple of summers, he didn’t walk very far anymore but he would park in the upper parking lot and walk to the athletic field and watch the kids play softball for a couple of hours and watch the parents watch the kids. He loved it.
After my dad passed away, I paid to refurbish an existing bench in the park and dedicated it to my parents. I thought of it as not only an honoring of my parents but as a chance to give back to Lincoln Park for all it had given to us. Took me a long time to come up with language to put on the plaque but finally I found the words: “Rest, let nature’s beauty fill your heart.” That’s what the park did for my family and still does for me.
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