"PATTERNS FOR LIVING"

Yesterday I wrote about getting up and speaking to people in a crowd. It brings back memories of when my two girls were young.

Every year our church we attended had a mother and daughter banquet. They would have guest speaker and mother and daughter tributes. Well this particular year they asked me if I would do the mother response. My older daughter was asked to sing in a trio for the event, so they asked my younger daughter to give the daughter's speech. My older daughter probably was about 14-15 at the most and my younger daughter was about 11-12. I am guessing on the exact age they were.

I suppose they asked me to give this speech at this banquet because the theme was "Patterns for Living". It centered around sewing, etc. The program actually was a pouch just like a pattern you purchase at the store. Inside the envelope was the program. Picture of versions of a dress that one could make on the cover of the envelope.

I can't remember too much of what I said, but I do remember a bit of what my younger daughter said in her tribute. I will try to tell you the zest of the speech below.

"Mothers come in all sizes, colors, and personalities. It just so happens that God gave me a plump lovable one." Then she went on to tell all the various hats that mothers have to wear.
"They are cook, chauffeur, counseler, referee, teacher, etc." She went on to tell about her mother in particular. "It wasn't my mothers fault that I happen to draw from the bowl of duties, scrubbing the tub, washing the dishes, etc." She really did an excellent job with her portion of the program. She told how I had led her to the Lord.

You remember what I was like when the lights were on and all ears was waiting for me to speak! For such a young girl, I was just amazed at her ability to communicate her thoughts without freaking out the way I had done.

Of course, it did help that both of the daughters had private lessons on public speaking and voice. Now who could possibly give them so much training, you ask? No other than Dick Van Dyke's drama teacher when he was in high school. No wonder she was cool, calm and collected.

Wisdom--Step out of your box and do things people ask you to do, you never know but that it will be something God wants, and He will help you.

JELLO FOR LEGS!!

When I was in high school we had in our Junior and Senior years a play that we put on for the community. The first year, I had a minor part and when I was a senior I had a little bigger part. In the play I was a neighbor and was in love with the professor that lived next door. Eventually I ended up in his basement with the tomato preserves and I was awe struck! The plays went really well and I loved having a part, even though both were rather insignificant parts. I think my best girlfriend had the lead part in the senior play.

What does this all have to do with "jello" for legs. Well, between Acts, I was supposed to go out and present the teacher a small token of appreciation for her hard work in helping us put on the play.

Since I was president of my class, it was my responsibility. All I had to do was go out and say a few words and give her this gift. "Piece of Cake" I thought. It would have been, but I forgot one little minor thing. STAGE FRIGHT! All during the play, I performed as if nobody was watching.
What could go wrong, I thought. I walked out on the stage and the curtain rose, the lights went on in the audience, and I was all alone with everybody looking at me. My knees started shaking,
my voice left me and there I was for all the world to hear what I was supposed to say. I freaked out and could not utter a word. Finally the the teacher saw my predicament and came out to accept the gift. I know some of you guys can't believe that I was speechless!!!

Our Junior and Senior banquet was in the spring of that year and again, since I was president of the class, I was suppose to give this speech, also. Lo and behold, I acquired the mumps and the Vice president had to give the speech. Yes, I really did have the mumps!

Then when we graduated, I was to give another speech on our classes behalf of being a new alumni at the banquet. This was my only chance to redeem myself. I was bound and determined the same thing wasn't going to happen again. I ended up doing a "great" job. I left nothing for chance, as I practiced what I was going to say and looked everyone in the eye while I was talking. Whew!

Wisdom--It never hurts to step out of our comfort zone and do something that you aren't used to doing. Never again did I ever experience "stage fright" like I did that night! Looking back on this, I am glad I had the experience at that young age.

LIFETIME OF LEARNING!

When you are going to school, you just can't wait until you graduate. Well, did you know you never get too old to learn and it is a lifetime experience!

Yesterday I went to our "Home Extension" (not what they call it today) and had a lesson on the country of China. We learned many things about that country. No matter how old one gets, you can still learn. Also, the camaraderie you have with those ladies are priceless. One thing lead to another subject. I told them about an e-mail that was sent to me a few months ago. I will tell you the jest of the e-mail.

There was a church that was needing extra cash. They found some bibles (they forgot they had) in the attic of the church and thought perhaps if they went door to door that they could sell these bibles to raise money they needed. Of course, they needed volunteers for this project of selling these bibles.

Two men of the church were salesmen and they volunteered. Well another person volunteered, also. The pastor thought the salesmen would do very well, but the other man, he was rather doubtful of whether he would be able to sell anything (since he had a speech problem). Remember Moses had a speech problem and look what he did. The pastor didn't want to discourage the man, so he decided to let him join the other two in selling these bibles.

They all went out and one of the salesmen said that he earned $250 that day. The other salesman said, he didn't do quite that well and only brought in $195. The pastor was hesitant in asking the man with the speech problem what he was able to sell, but still he had to ask.
This man said that he sold a $1,000 worth. The pastor was absolutely amazed!!! He asked him what in the world did he do to raise that much money?

Well the man said, "I ww-went uu-up tt-to tt- he dd-door and aa-asked ii-f they ww-anted to buy a bb-ible or ww-ould tt-hey rr-ather hh-ave mm- e rr-ead tt-he bb-ible to them!

Next writing I will tell you about a speech (or lack of one) that I gave.

Wisdom--Don't ever under-estimate the smallest effort a person gives that is dedicated to be used of God!! God uses the lest of these to confound the wise! I Corinthians 1:27 says--"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;" Maybe there is still hope for me yet!

MY FAVORITE HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER!

I want to tell you about a teacher that I had in my senior year of high school. He was a history teacher and the coach at the school.

The very first week he demanded your TOTAL attention. If you started looking out the window and daydreaming, he would make all the class have eyes and ears on what he was saying and teaching. He would ask two or at the most three students a question, if he didn't get a right answer from them, he would say, "All books closed, we are going to have a test today". He did this consistently and needless to say, the class did not do too well on the tests. I was totally freaked out! We needed this credit to graduate and he was so ROUGH on us.

Since my dad was on the school board, I went home and told my dad that they needed to do something about that teacher that was coming down so hard on his students. Dad just listened.
I'm sure he was thinking, "well they finally got a teacher that expected kids to study and learn the subject". He did not give me any sympathy.

Well-----since I was not getting any sympathy at home and no sympathy from the teacher, I decided the only thing I had to do, was dig in and STUDY. INDEED, I dug in and studied. When he would give an essay test, he expected you to write everything you knew about the subject and not leave any details out. You made sure that you did your assigned homework for the day.

Throughout the year I was getting fairly good grades in this class and from the teacher that I thought was totally unfair! I learned more in one year about history of the United States than I had all previous years put together. By the end of the year I was really liking the subject. I can truthfully say that he was one of my favorite teachers of all time. He was up there to teach and he expected you to learn!

My dad had always said that teachers were born teachers and good teachers had that something extra that made them stand out. I think this teacher fit that bill. He wasn't mean about it, but was consistent and expected one to learn as he taught. Loving but firm was his "motto".

Wisdom today--Thank a teacher today for helping you learn and grow up at the same time!

TYPICAL TEEN YEARS!

As I have stated prior to this, that I lived a rather sheltered life. My world was rather small. I had only been in 2 states by the time I was 18 years of age.

When the war broke out, I thought, Oh My we were going to get bombed!! Then I settled down to being a typical teenager. The war was in my mind, but they were fighting a Million miles away! However, I was very aware of the significance of war and what it was doing to our country, I was pretty much like an average teenager and not consumed by it.

My High School years were "happy go lucky" and I could have taken those years a little more seriously than I did. I was interested in making friends, and enjoying my teen years. I enjoyed some subjects, but other subjects weren't "my cup of tea". Like when we studied Edgar Alan Poe and his writings. I just was not that interested in knowing what he was driving at in some of his way out thinking. I learned most of that in class.

I loved the math courses, and commercial subjects and home economic courses.

Tomorrow I will tell you my favorite teacher in High School. YOU WILL BE SURPRISED!!!

Thought for the day--I could have been a little more diligent in studying, but I will never regret being carefree and making good friends during those years. The friends that I made, have lasted a lifetime! I think all kids need to have a time to find themselves and develop social skills along with book learning.

POUND ANOTHER NAIL BEHIND THE BARN!!

A few years ago I went to a ladies meeting at my daughter's church. The speaker was a Mrs. Smiley. She had written a couple Christian books and a well sought after speaker in Christian Circles. Oh yes, another thing that stands out in my mind, is that I knew her mother-in-law and went to high school with her. Mrs. Smiley lives with her husband and boys on the same family farm, in the same community that I grew up in.

During World War II, scores of prayers had been said throughout the country for those in the service and the outcome of the war. I think Abraham Lincoln once said, "We should not ask that God be on our side, but to make sure that we are on God's side". With God knowing the evil that was taking place, the Holocaust and the Japanese declining to surrender after starting the war, I believe that He answered so many parents prayers and the war was ended.

Mrs. Smiley brought out that every time God answered their prayers, that they should go behind the barn and POUND ANOTHER NAIL IN THE BARN. This was a reminder when they looked at the nails, that God has been faithful in answering their deepest heartfelt prayers. Much like the Israelites did when they stacked the rocks up for a reminder of God's faithfulness throughout the years.

I think that World War II ending was one of those times that one needed to "GO BEHIND THE BARN AND POUND ANOTHER NAIL IN THE BARN". Just another reminder of God hears and answers prayers and His faithfulness. Truly the nation had something to be thankful for!

OUR GRATITUDE FOR OUR SERVICE MEN!!!

The War years were trying days at the best, and horrifying days for a lot of the men that went through the war. War in not a "pretty" picture and we applaud those men that served in any capacity during the war.

To get a greater appreciation for what our Armed Forces went through, please check out of the library Tom Brokaw's books (3 in total) about the "Greatest Generation". I had mentioned earlier of Stephen P. Ambrose writings on World War II. PBS had a documentary on the "Pilot's story". This is one man's experience of his involvement in the war. Flag of our Fathers is another book to check out at the library.

So many gave the supreme sacrifice for future generations "freedom". Let us not ever forget them and appreciate our current Armed Forces in keeping our "Country Free".

When it came out what Hitler was doing and the atrocities that they found in that country after the war, THANK GOD WE WON THE WAR! Evil men still exist and we should never take our freedom for granted.

I think it was Eisenhower that said after the war, "Take as many pictures and document them all, so that someone in the future will not come along and say that this horrible Holocaust never existed." I cleaned up his exact words, but now we do hear people say that the Holocaust never happened. Pictures do not lie and we must never let this happen again.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU AGAIN, FOR THE SERVICE MEN/WOMEN THAT KEPT US FREE. May our country be free from those that wish to destroy us and may these men that gave the supreme sacrifice, have not died in vain!!

BAD NEWS FROM THE HOMEFRONT!

It was roll call and I got a V-mail letter from a lady from church. I was always very glad to get mail from home and hear all the news around my hometown. Mail call was everyday but I didn't get mail everyday. This day was a day that I wished I hadn't heard about news from home.

The letter stated that they were sorry about my dad's death. This was the first I had heard about him dying. He had died 2-3 weeks earlier from the news I had just received. Normally you receive word from the Red Cross in a few days after something happens like this. I received word from the Red Cross about six weeks after his death. The last time I saw my dad as I was leaving to go overseas, I thought I would not see him again alive. I felt really bad and the guys in my Quonset hut decided to leave me so I could grieve. I did not go to work for a few days after that. This is not the kind of news one wants to hear about when you are 4 to 5 thousand miles away from home. My dad was 64 years of age and died in February 1944. My mother was widowed at the age of 51. I thought my mother had a level head about her and knew she would be OK, but I wished I had been able to be home during that sad time in our lives.

My address was Headquarters & Headquarters Squadron of 3rd Air Division. This division was directing the day to day operation of their part of the Air Corp part of the war.

When V-E Day came, I wondered whether I would be transferred to another part of the war effort.

On V-J day, I thought we were finally going to get to go home!!!! I was one of the first to get to go home, since I had quite a few points scored up due to our squadron and length of time I was overseas.

When I saw the Lady in the Harbor, it was a happy day!

Thought for the day--It was rather hard for my husband to recall all of this (emotionally), but this was played out in many a home during these days. Mostly it was news from the war that mothers learned about their sons, but sometimes the reverse was true. Oh Happy Day that World War II was finally over!!!!

MY ENGLAND WAR EXPERIENCES!

When I was at Mac Dill Field in Florida, our unit was attached to the Army Air Corp. So when I was in England, I was appointed to do paper work in the office at Elveden Hall near Thetford, England. I suppose they had me do office work, as this was what I was doing prior to being drafted. I was low ranking, and I got KP a lot. The highest ranking officer was a general on our post. They had their own separate eating mess hall. They ate better than the enlisted men.
Occasionally they would have jelly rolls. I peeled a lot of potatoes, washed a lot of pots and pans while on KP. My wife says today, that sure was a lot better than dodging bullets and bombs. I didn't know her when I was in the service and met her after I got home. Later they promoted me to Sgt. and I didn't have KP much after that. Most of the time after that, I stayed working in the office. I stayed at this post for 2 years, 4 months and 2 days.

I was in the service 3 yrs, 1 month, and 17 days altogether.

When I got leaves we were able to go to London (90 miles away).

I carried a gun 1 day and this was on D-Day (June 6, 1944). Everyone in our unit was ordered to carry a gun that day.

I have tried to keep in touch with some of the men that I worked with during the war. A couple of them have passed away.

Thanks for the input--tomorrow he will tell you more.

Thought--Everyone did what they were assigned to do, and together they came out winning the war!

HUSBAND'S WAR INVOLVEMENT (OWN WORDS)

My husband's first attempt to use the computer--He will tell you his involvement in the war effort.

I received my greetings from the president on August 1942 it said-- "Greetings from the President of the United States, please report for a physical in a couple of weeks at Fort Sheridan".

I went up to Chicago on that date with other guys from my area. I passed my physical and was told to report back September 4, 1942 to be inducted into the U. S. Army. I was 21 years of age.

I was in camp Grant for a couple of weeks, then I was sent to Camp Crowder, near Neosha, Missouri. I was in a signal corp outfit and had basic training there. After a couple months they sent us to Mac Dill field in Tampa, Florida. It was nice to be in a warm climate for the winter. In early April we were told to take a two week vacation. I took the train to my home town, but I received a telegram to return to Mac Dill field as soon as possible. This was because my outfit was leaving for overseas. My dad could get a free railway passes (he worked for the railroad) so they went back to Tampa with me.

When my mother , dad, and sister left for home it was a sad occasion I didn't know if I would see them again, especially my dad . He had heart trouble and they didn't have much medicine in those days. After a while we went to New York to Camp Lee.

I left on the boat May 23, 1943. To make it safer the boat zig-zagged every 8 minutes so that the submarines couldn't set up to shoot their torpedo's. We couldn't figure out where we were going. Some times the weather seemed warmer, other times it was cooler. We arrived at Liverpool, England on June 1, 1943.

Thanks for the input, he will tell you tomorrow more about his war experience.

Wisdom--The above scene was multiplied over and over again. Parents worried that this was the last time they would see their son/daughter. We are so grateful for our "War Heroes".

SCRAP METAL, MILKWEED PODS & PAPER DRIVES!

During the war there were scrap metal, milkweed pods and paper collections, so these could be recycled to turn into war weapons or items that would help the war effort out.

The milkweed pods were collected to make life preservers for the Navy. The country was already used to saving and salvaging every resource that they had available. The motto "WASTE NOT, WANT NOT" was already engrained in the countries people from surviving the depression.

The scrap metal was recycled into bombs, etc. Our high school did not have a year book during my Junior and Senior year, to help with the paper shortage.

To this day, I still look at an object through this prism, and can find new uses for something about to be pitched as useless.

Wisdom--God has given us so much in natural resources and trusts us to use these resources wisely, so future generations can benefit. How are we doing with this trust?

VICTORY GARDENS AND WAR BONDS!

Food was such a vital commodity that Victory Gardens sprung up all over America. It was their small effort to help alleviate the shortage of food. Since sugar was so scarce, they had to use honey and a lot of the recipes had honey as an ingredient instead of sugar.

War bonds were encouraged and bought (no matter how small a bond you purchased) so that the United States could pay for the cost of the war. This did a number of things, it got everyone involved in the war effort, it helped the families save for the future, and it helped finance the war.

Data on my husband's involvement in the war will be coming up.

Wisdom--When each does a little, the little becomes bigger until finally it becomes unstoppable. That is how we won the war.

FATHER'S LOVE LETTER!

Since today is valentines day, I thought you would like to see My Father's Love Letter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Q5T9RYLiG4

PRICE CONTROL ESTABLISHED!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!! This will be short today, but it is an important part of our winning the war as other endeavors.

Since there were a shortage of manpower and shortage of many daily supplies, Congress gave the President power to freeze salaries, prices on commodities, at their level of September 15, 1942. On July 1, 1943 all rental properties were frozen. The supply and demand was taken away, so there weren't inflation on top of all of our other problems the country faced. Their focus was solely on winning the war with everyone participating, no matter the how small one could help in that effort. No one person or entity was gaining by us being in the war.

Wisdom--Proverbs 1:19 says--"So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain: which taketh away the life of the owners thereof." Have you seen any greed in our government and people in high places lately? Their greed has got us in quite a "JAM".

TOMATOES, SWEET CORN, POW'S!

During the war years there were a German Prison of War camp about 10 miles away from our farm.

There is some discrepancy on whether they worked on our farm or not. We had 3 acres of tomatoes planted and 30 acres of sweet corn. My uncle had 5 acres of tomatoes as well as the surrounding farmers. It was my understanding that they came out to the farm to pick tomatoes
for the canning factory. However, my brother didn't think so. Picking tomatoes was a daily job and very back breaking job, as well. You had to scoot the crate along until full and then carry it back to the truck when full. Harvesting the sweet corn was a much easier job and done all at once when the corn was mature to can. Since my dad had a truck, he would take the tomatoes from our farm as well as the close neighbors to the canning factory. Food was a vital part of the war effort, and helpers were at a minimum.

In order to plant the tomatoes it took a man on the tractor and two men on the two row planter and they went along and planted the young plants. The planter made the holes and squirted water and fertilizer as they went along.

It seems in my mind that they worked in harvesting, but I'm sure that the country put them to work in the canning process of some source or another.

Since my dad could speak German, he would visit with them. He was rather rusty on his German, but could carry on a conversation with them. They told my dad that they were surprised that our cities weren't destroyed as they had been told before they were captured. They claimed that Germany was prospering when United States was in deep depression. They were thinking that their side was going to win the war. Dad did not argue with them, but listened to what they had to say and their view of the world situation. Dad's view on the subject was--Of course they prospered as they were busy making weapons to fight the war. We were trying to stay out of war if we could.

How the POW'S were housed and cared for is unknown, but they were always under supervision
and watched by the U.S. Government.

Wisdom--Because the Lord is watching over us, we don't have to fear the dangers around us.

CENSORSHIP!

While we were at war there was censorship. Letters that revealed whereabouts of the person in the service were censored.

Motto's were placed in prominent places such as--"LOOSE TALK COSTS LIVES" and "A SLIP OF THE LIP MAY SINK A SHIP".

This censorship was put into place so the country was safe and the enemies that wanted to destroy us didn't get vital information that they could use against us.

I have listened to criticism of the FBI listening in on the telephone conversations of known terrorists and think about our censorship back then. DON'T THEY KNOW THEY ARE TRYING TO KEEP OUR COUNTRY SAFE FROM ANOTHER 911? The protesters doesn't realize we are in a WAR, and we need to protect and support our troops, and citizens!!!!

Many a letter arrived to the destination with many holes cut out because they revealed too much information. If the letter fell in the wrong hands, it could be used to defeat us.
Many a letter was sent with cutout words and phrases were missing. Each letter was looked at so that our country could win the war and enemies could not get information due to some careless person revealing pertinent data.

Wisdom-Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in. Once said, it can not be gathered back up so easily.

RATION BOOKS & STAMPS!

Yesterday the temperature was up to 66 degrees. That was really welcome after the 16 degree below zero we had just a month ago. We were able to go out in our yard and pick up the sticks that fell during the ice storm. All the snow is off of the ground. I look forward to spring.

Telling about World War II is like the blind men that went to the zoo. Since they couldn't see the animal, but only used their feeling senses, they all came back with a different story of what an elephant really looked like. The one that touched the tail was different than the one who touched the trunk, etc.

The mother that had several sons in the service, had a different story and outlook than the one who only was helping in the war effort. Also, many, many mothers got the dreaded telegraph that stated something like this--"We regret to inform you that your (son or husband) was killed/wounded or missing in action while serving their country". This happened all across America. Our community, had a few like this. Two that I knew of lived across the road from each other growing up. I went to high school with both of them. Our hearts and sympathy goes out to their family even today. The war we have been in the last 5 years has lost over 5,000 men. Each one of these men were special and we regret losing even one. The grief that just one parent goes through is horrendous. In World War II, we were losing 5,000 in one day in some of the battles. This puts the scope of that war in perspective.

Yesterday I mentioned about the ration books and stamps that we were issued. There were a shortage in meat, butter, sugar, fats, oils, metal, paper, coffee, shoes, tires, gasoline, silk stockings, paper. In order to be able see that everyone was able to get what they needed in these supplies, they gave out ration books. Car owners were limited to 3 gallons of gas a week, so they car pooled a lot. If you needed a pair of shoes, you had to forfeit your shoe allotment stamp to obtain that pair of shoes. I don't know what happened if you were growing rapidly and grew out of shoes before you could purchase a larger size.

Farmers had an advantage, since their occupation was a vital part of the war effort, they got all the gas that they needed. Meat and butter was plentiful on the farm.

Silk stockings were no longer available and someone thought of a solution. They had leg makeup to appear that a girl wore hose. Not a very good solution, because it didn't protect from the cold or when your legs got damp in the rain, they reacted like mascara does today when wet. Yuk!

These were just a few of the small sacrifices that the people on the "home front" endured. Not much when you think that our "choice men were sacrificing their all for OUR FREEDOM".

Wisdom today--My mother had always said, "Where there's a WILL, there's A WAY!" This was never truer than when we all pulled together to WIN the WAR! One strand of thread is easily broken, but take thousands of these strands and put them in a rope, and see how strong they become.

MORE ON THE HOME FRONT!

I was just thinking it was good that we had the money to buy the gas stove, electric appliances when we did, because when the war broke out, it was difficult to purchase these until after the war was over and production started producing these once again.

Statistics have it that United States alone furnished 296,429 airplanes, 86,333 tanks, and 11,900 ships. They switched over to making all of these in rapid speed. There were a shortage of men to work in the plants due to the draft, so many women whose boyfriend, husband was off to war, stepped up to the plate and filled these positions. "Rosie the Riveter" was a well known phrase during these years. Many of these people had to move where the plants were. This caused quite a shortage in housing near the plants. I read somewhere, that they rented their apartment/room or place to stay, by the shift. I didn't know anybody that had to do this, but it would stand to reason that people that needed a place to stay where the work was, had a problem.

Our country had a vast amount of resources to produce the needs for the war effort, but they did have to import some things. They implemented a rationing to the general public, so we had enough to go around.

Tomorrow I will tell you more about the ration books, etc.

Wisdom today--When things seem tough and seems monumental, just remember Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

INDUSTRIAL SWITCH OVER!

America was not prepared to go to war, but when the challenge came, all the industrial plants geared up to change directions. They started making airplanes instead of cars, etc. Weapons instead of refrigerators, etc. Supplies for the Armed Forces, as well as Food and clothing for the war effort were paramount. As I mentioned earlier, America was toughened in by weathering the depression and they were ready for this challenge as well.

A draft was soon in place and many of our families, friends and neighbors went off to meet that challenge. The ones at home did not suffer as much as the fighting forces, but they did help win the war. We were the "people behind the man behind the gun", supporting the troops in our small way.

More later in how we met that challenge.

Wisdom--I would pray that we would never have to go to war, but when our country is at war, we must do all we can to back the armed forces.

PEARL HARBOR!

Even though the world was getting very unsettling, Pearl Harbor was a surprise and was a ruthless attack on our country. On television the other night, I once again saw the movie "Pearl Harbor". It brought the events that happened on that quiet Sunday morning back into focus.

Somebody said they woke up a "SLEEPING GIANT"! Indeed they certainly did. The people were toughened in by the depression, that they were used to doing without and tightening their belt for a "GREATER CAUSE". So the country banded together for one purpose--To WIN THE WAR!!!!! Patriotism was running full steam and no one doubted our participation in the war effort. There wasn't the Hollywood crowd that banned together to object. Just the contrary, many of the movie stars signed up to fight. I think Abraham Lincoln said, a house divided cannot stand! The country stood together and won the war!

I believe Tom Brokah wrote a book about the "GREATEST GENERATION". I'm sure many of you have read the book and if not, it is worth the read.

President Roosevelt said that December 7, 1941 would live in Infamy. I will try to tell you a little
what it was like during those four years that followed that dreadful day, for those of us that were back home.

Have you ever thought what it would have been like had Germany and Japan had won World War II? It would have been the end of our world as we know it today.

Wisdom today--Freedom comes at a very HIGH PRICE!

GOING MODERN!!

On another writing, I mentioned that in 1940 we got an electric refrigerator. Today, I want to tell you about getting a gas stove.

This was a welcome relief for my mother that totally cooked on a wood burning old cook stove (the kind with warming ovens above) until they had the money to buy the gas stove. She still cooked on the other stove in the winter, but in the summer she didn't have to fire up the stove to cook with.

This new stove had four burners and an oven that you regulated the heat. No longer would we have a summer sauna in the kitchen. Well, I guess you wouldn't go so far that it didn't get hot in the kitchen in the summer, but at least there wasn't a stove roaring all summer long, to a help the thermometer go up sky high.

We purchased an electric iron, an electric washing machine and electric sweeper and an electric radio.

Jobs were low pay during the 1940's.

The depression era was slowly but surely coming to an end. I do believe that we survived and came out of the "great depression" much easier and faster than most in those days. We didn't have a modern kitchen with running water, but we were on the way UP.

There was a greater and worse problem looming in the making, however. Pearl Harbor and World War II was on the horizon. This took our generation through a crisis and determination to pull together to WIN the war! I will write about this era next.

Wisdom today--Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.

MATTRESSES, MATTRESSES, MATTRESSES!

In my last writing I mentioned how the "great depression" affected my brother. Well we all have a few hangovers from those years and seems to never leave us. Today I will tell you a story about our family mattresses.

My mother-in-law decided to get a new mattress, probably due that her back was hurting a tad.
She asked us if we wanted her old mattress (which really was rather new). I told my husband that her mattress was better than the mattress we were sleeping on, so we would replace ours with her cast off.

My youngest daughter had just got her first teaching job and was sharing a rented house with a couple other gals that were teachers, also. We tried to scrounge some beds/furniture together so she could get by until she could afford better. We had given her an old mattress early in the school year. Now we had our mattress (after we got his mom's mattress), and we thought that it was a heap of a lot better than the one we sent down to help her out. We asked her boyfriend (her husband to be) if he minded picking it up and taking it to her when he went down to see her. I think then she tossed out the first mattress.

Eventually she was making more money, and decided to get herself a "Pennsylvania House" bed/new mattress and box springs. She called and asked me, "What do you want me to do with the mattress that I have? I thought awhile, and told her--you know that mattress is better than the mattress that our other daughter and son-in-law was sleeping on. (Our son-in-law was getting his doctorate at the University of Illinois at the time). I asked her if she thought her boyfriend (our future son-in-law) would mind taking it to them. I don't know what happened to our married kids mattress (A cheapo that came with the trailer they were living in) after receiving this one. I imagine it was pitched.

Well, Our daughter's boyfriend probably was getting sick and tired of moving mattresses and decided this had to end. He ended up marrying our daughter! Little did he know, the mattress switching had just BEGUN!!!!!!

They purchased a house and needed furniture/etc to get by with. They had a few extra bedrooms to furnish. Jumers Castle was updating their beds and replacing them for new ones.
They purchased a queen size Beauty Rest & box springs for the GRAND TOTAL of $15. WHAT A DEAL!!! They took it home and used it for a spare bed. They would come to our house and we had two single beds that were upstairs and this was their sleeping arrangements at our house (really great for newly weds!)

A couple years went by and because of their soon growing family, they needed single beds and we could use that queen size bed (for our married children that were visiting). My younger daughter asked if we would switch with her. This seemed like an excellent plan. So, once again, her husband carted the queen size Beauty Rest/springs over to our house and they took the twin beds back for their girls.

A few years ago, our granddaughter (their daughter) was needing furniture/beds and (you guessed it) mattress to furnish her apartment. She had just gotten a teaching job and couldn't afford to buy new stuff immediately. Our daughter asked if we had any beds/mattresses that we weren't using anymore. I told my husband I thought it was high time we got a NEW mattress to replace that Beauty Rest & springs. So the Beauty Rest went about 300 miles to its new home. The story doesn't end yet. She moved back and this year is living with her parents and teaching close by. We have all her belongings in our basement for storage. Why pay storage when we have a room to store it all in for free. We together figured out that that we got our moneys worth out of the $15 Beauty Rest mattress and box spring. So this went in the dump beside the condo that she purchased. I bet someone saw it there and retrieved it and is enjoying a good nights rest still on that bed. (This is the saga of the traveling mattresses).

Oh by the way, our grandson and wife needed a mattress and box springs for their guest bedroom. Of course, you know they would first see if grandma had one to spare. Yes we just happen to have an extra set. So the saga of the mattresses continues on!!!!

Wisdom for the day--Never live beyond your means, God wants us to be prudent, and you will have enough money for necessities. I guess you can take the girl out of the depression but some of that lifestyle still remains!

MY BROTHER!

It has been said--"You can take a boy out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the boy!" Well, I can add another line to this--"You can take the boy out of the depression, but you can't take the depression out of the boy!" I think that anyone that has gone through a deep depression can relate to this statement.

Needless to say, this is where one starts to understand where my brother has been and where he is today. He is very, very frugal and unless you start with the way he thinks things through, you may have a hard time understanding him.

First of all, I want to say that if I had any kind of money that I would want someone to be in charge for safe keeping, I would without a doubt, trust my brother. He has always paid his bills on time and if he owed you a penny, you can be sure he would pay you. He has tried to project ahead and not be a burden on his family. Sometimes, I think our country could learn a lesson from him. The way the government has spent money, people in high elected positions avoided paying their income taxes, I only wish there were more people with integrity to pay their bills and not overspend. This puts a burden on our future generations to pay. It seems like people are relying more on the government to supply their every need.

My brother, at a very, very young age would go out and do a days work in those depression years. He helped with keeping the family from going under. He would come in and it was hard for my mother to scold him for something, because he had put in a days work, as if he was an adult.

I believe that the words that my mother said, "You might follow a crow a mile for a crust of bread" was inbred in his thinking.

I asked my dad one day, "His opinion of the kind of farmer my brother was?" He said, "He was a very good farmer". My brother was more of a pessimist than an optimist. He liked to draw when he was young. He designed on paper what the future cars would look like. Would you believe it--this was the designs that later came out of Detroit. Amazing! He also, liked to draw maps and knew every county in the state and any surrounding states where they were located. I think, he would have excelled in whatever his aptitude would take him. I think that my dads dying, right when he was just beginning farming on his own, left quite a vacuum in his life.

One thing that was ingrained in our minds early on was that you always tell the TRUTH. I have never known my brother to be anything but truthful. If he said he did or didn't do something, I knew his word was "golden".

Would I have wanted him to be a bit different? Well, I'm sure I would have wanted him to "lighten up a bit and along the way smell the roses". With that said, I'm sure he would find something that he would change about me, if he could. We always got along quite well and I love my brother and would trust him. I hope that he would feel the same about me.

Wisdom--People in all relationships should try to understand the other person, and then they will be able to accept them as they are. I'm glad God has accepted me the way I am and He gives me the ability to understand others.

MY "OTHER MOM"--My sister!

On previous writings, I have mentioned about my sister and comments of what it was like growing up. Today I want to concentrate on her as an adult.

My sister after going to Business School worked for awhile, and then married. After she was married they moved to another state. This did not keep her from being connected to her family.
She had two boys, my brother had two boys, and I had the two girls. She started being a "mom" figure to the extended family.

When her two boys were in grade school, she decided to go to college and get a teachers degree. After college, she started teaching grade school and then went on to teach High School Business Courses. She also sold Real Estate. All the while she was teaching, she instilled in her extended family (my brother's boys, and my girls) that they needed to take subjects so they too could go to college. This paid off because her two boys and our girls started preparing to go to college. If she hadn't taken an interest in this, I wonder if they would have pursued college. So you see her nurturing instincts were flowing from birth to today.

God gives each believer at least one "spiritual gift". She has exercised her "spiritual gift" over and over again. When you have a gift, that gift cannot be contained, you use it without even thinking about it. There is a story about a boyscout and he wanted to so be a helper and use his boyscout training so much. So he saw a "Little Ole Lady" standing by a curb to the street. He went over to take her arm to help her across the street. The "Little Ole Lady" started getting rather "huffy" with this boy and started slinging her purse at him. The boy couldn't understand why she was so upset, since he was doing such a "good boyscout deed". Well, it turned out that the "Little Ole Lady" didn't want to cross the street. Well this sometimes is the way it is with my sister.

God has endowed her with an exceptional gift of problem solving and wanting to help, that she exercises the "gift" and sometimes people DO NOT WANT HELP, even though they could use a bit of advice. She is very good at problem solving and has helped so many in this area. Whenever, I have a problem, I know she always has a good solution to this problem.
NO, I DO NOT THINK SHE IS SHORT OF A FULL LOAD! (As I indicated in the story about A rock and a hard place). This year she will be 88 years of age and still maintains her own home (even though it is getting harder each year for her).

She and her husband moved back to Illinois and lives in the same town that I live in. Her husband passed away about 4 years ago.

She is my "BEST FRIEND" and I value her judgment immensely. She has a calm even disposition, much the way our dad approached life.

Wisdom for the day--Seek opportunities to exercise your "Spiritual Gifts". Those gifts are there to help others.

ITS A SMALL, SMALL WORLD!

We live in a large world, but on occasions I have felt it was a small, small world.

About a year ago I was seated in church and a couple (late 50's) came and sat in front of our pew. I try to welcome new visitors and sometimes I find they are not new at all, but sitting in a different side of the church. On this occasion, they were indeed visitors. They were visiting their adult children that lived in our town. I asked them, where their home was. They said a town very close to Orlando, Florida. To keep up the conversation, I asked them if they knew a
Dr. Randall_______, from this city. They looked at me as if they couldn't believe I had asked that. They said, that the doctor I had mentioned was their family doctor. The wife had just gotten out of the hospital from about a two week stay, and of course this doctor came in daily to visit her and check on how she was doing.

Well you wonder how this is relative to why I think it is a small, small world? This doctor is a great grandson of my maternal grandfather (the Irish Immigrant--Nebraska Homesteader) I spoke of in yesterdays writing. I only thought they might have heard of him because he was a prominent doctor in that city, and sure didn't think that he was their personal doctor. I e-mailed my cousin and told her about meeting one of Randy's patients. My cousin has since passed away and I will not be able to get access to our roots through her. Her mind was very alert and knew a lot of details and data on that side of the family.

An experience I had of not turning on the lights before taking medicine is as follows.
This particular year (couple years ago), I had quite a few bouts with sore throats, fevers, etc. This particular evening I was getting another one of my sore throats. A "bummer" I thought! So I proceeded to go into the kitchen to make some salt water to gargle with. I got a small glass of water, then reached in without turning on the light, poured quite a bit of salt in the glass. I thought a little salt does some good, I would really make a strong salt gargle. How much salt I poured in I don't know, but when I gargled with it, some of that salt got in my throat, and I thought it was curtains for me that day! I couldn't swallow, or breathe. Eventually, I snapped out of it. Never again will I go in and try to get something without turning on the lights. That was a "no fun" experience! I could picture what had happened to my grandfather that day
long ago. Of course, there were no electric lights to flick on, only kerosene lamps.

Wisdom today--God's presence with us is His greatest present to us.

MY MATERNAL GRANDPARENTS!

My grandmother was born 2-26-1855 and died 1-4-1935. She came from a family that were well off in those times. In those days, they called people that had a little money, people of means. She had gone at least 1 year of college, and this in itself was a rarity in those days. Music was ingrained in their family. Her half sister became a concert pianist/opera singer and married a Judge from the city that I mostly lived as an adult. My grandmother married and had a daughter by her first marriage. Her first husband died very early in her marriage. There weren't antibiotics in those days and people died early from simple illnesses.

My grandmother later met my grandfather (Irish Immigrant). Her parents told her that if she married him, they would disinherit her. She met him and three weeks later she married him.
They thought he was way below her status in life. He must have been a smooth talker or she was just feisty enough to decide on her own. Three children were born by this marriage. A three year older boy, and twins (boy and girl). My mother was the twin girl. My grandfather and grandmother were the couple "(Nebraska Homesteaders)" I wrote about earlier.

My grandmother's daughter from her first marriage, stayed back and was raised by her grandfather and step-grandmother. My great grandfather was married three times (first wife died in childbirth and 2ND died of TB). My mother's half sister was married and had 2 daughters and she died very close after the 2ND child was born. Her husband (mother's half sister husband) married his wife's step-mother's daughter after my mother's half sister died.

My mother's father was born 12-1-1852 and died 10-21-1925 (one year before I was born).
We had always thought he was an Irish immigrant and could not read or write English. After we got the homestead papers, we learned that he was born in Ohio. This might have been what he told them, in order to qualify for the homestead act. He did sign the papers, so this part is quite a puzzle. He later after he homesteaded, bought lots and built a store and three houses on these lots. So we wonder how he could have done this, if he didn't know how to read or write. Kinda makes you wonder what story is correct. For certain we know he built the store and three houses. He surely built the buildings on the homestead as well. These later were inherited and rented to people by the names of --Brown, Red (nickname), Long, Lane. So the properties were known by "Brown's Red Long Lane"! We do know that he had a sister that was deaf at birth and couldn't communicate. After my grandfather married my grandmother, his sister did not want to be a burden to her brother and so she took her own life. How very sad!

I did not know my grandfather because a year before I was born, he got up in the middle of the night and fumbled around in the dark for medicine (before electric lights). He thought he was taking medicine that would help his ailment, but instead took the wrong stuff by mistake and burned his Esophagus. This was really a terrible way to die. My dad liked his father-in-law and got along very well with him.

Thought for the day--Every path has a few puddles. Be thankful for antibiotics of today, many of us would not be around without them.

MY PATERNAL GRANDPARENTS!

Previously, I had said that my grandmother (dad's mother) came from Germany at 18 years of age. Just imagine coming to a new country with only a small trunk no bigger than 1 1/2' by 2 1/2' by 1 1/2' high. This trunk was in an auction and I so wanted to get it, but had committed to going to a wedding in another town on the day of the auction. I sent one of my married daughters to the auction, in hopes that she would buy it. She asked me how high I wanted her to bid. By not seeing the trunk, I thought no more than $100. It sold just a little more than that to an antique dealer. A week later we saw the trunk in an antique shop for $450. I should have told her to bid higher that day. The history of the trunk was displayed on the tag to the trunk at the antique shop (we knew who had purchased it). It was soon sold for that amount. My grandmother was sponsored by another relative that was already here. I was named after this grandmother (my middle name). My granddaughter's middle name is the same. My grandmother was born 8-15-1864 and died 10-16-1931.

My grandfather (dad's father) was only 3 years of age when they came over on a sailboat. The whole family came from Switzerland. He had to learn to walk over again by the time they landed. Their sponsors were waiting for them when they came up the Illinois River. My grandfather's father had died within a few years after arriving. His mother remarried and I believe she died soon afterwards, also. He went to a foster family and eventually at 18 years of age he settled close to where my grandmother was living (a German community). They met and they had 9 children, my father was next to the oldest. My grandfather was born in 4-29-1853 and died 3-18-1943.

My grandmother passed away when I was about 5 years of age. The year was 1931. I do not remember too much about her, other than she was a heavy set woman and I remember going to the hospital and seeing her in the wheel chair in the hospitals sun porch. I do know that my dad thought very highly of his mother and conveyed that to us. He probably bonded with her when he was baking that bread so many years before. They had purchased a farm and lived there until they died.

My grandfather lived until he was 90 years of age. He remembered the fair in St. Louis and the first ice cream cones that came out. He asked if he should eat the vase too. He had heart problems and slept with many pillows to help him breath at night. He was hard hearing and when we would go to visit (1/4 mile away from our home), he would tell us (by tapping on our shoulder) we were getting loud when he was able to hear us. We were laughing and having fun with our aunt. Many times we would be at there home and the mail would come. After getting his mail, if he didn't understand something, he would trudge down to our house and Dad would patiently explain things to him, and if need be, take him to the court house, to tend to business. He died in his sleep at 90 in 1943.

The family spoke only German in the home until my dad was in grade school, and then they spoke English. I did not know that my dad had a brogue until I was married and my husband said that he did have a slight brogue. Much like Henry Kissinger.

Thought for the day--Our forefathers were quite courageous!