Mimi, Maggie, and Me

Dr. Mimi Elzinga Keller

It’s fun to write such a variety of characters in The Pastor Maggie Series. I’m always fascinated to hear questions from readers about particular characters and who they might be based on. Not surprisingly, Irena-the crazy organist-gets a lot of attention! She is based on a real person who taught my daughters how to play string instruments. She was a very scary little woman! Her physical description is the only connection to the real woman. Irena’s fictional backstory will be revealed in book three of the series For Richer, For Poorer. Look for it this fall!

But there is another character I would like to highlight. Maggie’s mother, Mimi Elzinga. Mimi is the no-nonsense, practical, intelligent mother of both Maggie and Bryan. She is also my mother. Writing her character in the books is a whole lot of fun. She is not as harsh in real life – I want that to be clear.

If you sat down with my mother, Mimi, she would sip a cup of coffee or tea, depending on the time of day, and listen to your story. You most likely would not learn that she has both a B.A. and Master of Science degree in Psychology. She has her Doctorate in Early Childhood Education. She did research at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, researching child development. She taught special education in the classroom. She still works with Developmental Psychology majors at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. She’s been a three-term president of the Women's Literary Club of Holland. She’s a published author. She’s a violinist and a church organist – thankfully, nothing at all like Irena! (Although, the same size.)

Mimi is a badass. She would also never use that word. She is classy, well-dressed, polite, and appropriate in every situation. I wish I was more like my mother.

Maggie and I tend to be dressed in unmatched Old Navy items. We are clumsy, impetuous, emotional, and dramatic. We both have needed Mimi to “class us up a bit.” And settle us down.

Maggie isn’t a mother (yet). But I was fortunate as I raised my four children, to have a mother who could answer ANY question about every stage of their lives. That’s an important point: she waits for questions. She doesn’t shove herself into other people’s lives with her brain full of knowledge and experience. She waits until she’s asked.

I’ve learned a lot about children, having raised them and now as I watch them fly on their own. They live all over the country and world. I’ve also learned a lot by spending over two decades working with parents and children in the church. But if I have ever have a wonderment about a child, I call Mimi.

Twenty eight years ago, Mimi buried one of her two children, my brother, Todd. Her level of grief, her descent into hell, and her rising again to go forward in life, were agonizing and inspiring to witness. She’s simply, and complexly, an amazing woman.

She has given me a love of reading, writing, and cooking. I’ve given her a fictional son named Bryan, which is what she wanted to name Todd in the first place.

This Sunday is Mother’s Day. What would Maggie and I do without Mimi for a mother? We’d be lost.

So, Happy Mother’s Day, Mimi Elzinga Keller! You make this world a better place. You are an extraordinary mother, grandmother and mother-in-law. 

And you will continue to guide Maggie and me as we stumble through life, badly dressed, but with hearts full of love. 

Another incredible gift from you.