Looking back at our lives as we raised our two adopted children, Beth Ann and Shawn Eric is uniquely possible because of a journal. Actually my wife began by calling it a diary but later decided the word journal described it more accurately. The following material should be viewed as excerpts from my wife’s journal but I will use a quotation mark for the sake of identifying a beginning. Bill, The Wordwright, copied the text from my wife’s hand-written records. We were late getting our family started, at age 33, when some couples were close to ten years into raising a family by this time. Jean has always been historians at heart so all activities and circumstances of being new parents were sufficient impetus for beginning a journal.

Those who keep journals know the incidental values derived from such records and the reason now for putting pen to paper (but with a keyboard and monitor being the tools instead) was because of a recent casual reviewing of these records. It is hoped those who read this will find it not only interesting but also hopefully inspiring or no less than encouraging as you read Jean’s Family Journal:

“Friday, October 6, 1967 --- Tonight I start my diary. The children were both good today. Beth skipped her nap. Shawn slept 3-1/2 hours. [Thus “Page 1 began in the year 1967. To put your mind at ease, only fragments of four decades will appear here but in these few paragraphs you can get a mental picture of how life was for this couple that, because of life’s circumstances, had to wait fifteen years to start their family. Jean’s journal was not a genuine daily writing but believe me, there were few blanks and the absence of days in this presentation is not representative of this busy mother’s journal.]

[Months pass but not without writing in her journal]

Tuesday, August 27, 1968 --- … A bountiful harvest has started to arrive at our house. I have spent a good amount of time in the kitchen. Thanks to our air conditioner, I didn’t have to suffer over the hot stove. It all started with the gift of a bushel of green beans from the Rowland’s. I canned 21 quarts and had plenty to eat besides. We purchased a bushel of peaches (Golden Jubilee at $5 a bushel) so I canned 21 quarts and made 10 pints of peach preserves. No sooner than I finished those, Mother called asking if I wanted some cucumbers. Of course I said yes and got about 3/4th of a bushel. I made pickles all ways. No two batches were alike. I finished up with 25 cans [jars]. Then came tomatoes from my Uncle Otto. Nice large ones and quite tasty. I canned 21 quarts and had an ample amount to eat.

That finished one week. The following Monday a call came wondering if we wanted some beans. So we picked green, waxed and dried limas. I gave the green ones to Mother and canned 7 quarts of yellow-wax beans plus had a nice supper of them. This afternoon a call came from Bill’s Dad, “Want these grapes out here?” We picked grapes tonight and I’ll make jelly tomorrow.

If things work out I’ll be freezing corn tomorrow [the day after she made jelly] – The corn was 30 cents a dozen and picked up by a friend who brought it to us. “What a blessing this all will be next winter, YUM YUM!”

Thursday, September 5, 1968 --- The corn arrived. I froze 18 pints and we consumed about 2-dozen of the ten dozen ears I bought. September has arrived and school starts [next] Wednesday. Gee, where has the summer gone?

[More months and years pass but Jean writes on….]

Wednesday, July 7, 1971 --- I took my driving test and failed. I was so disappointed. I still can’t believe my driving was quite as bad as he [the officer] claimed. Next week I’m going back and try again. That tester was sure a strict regimented fellow. Made me feel I was in the Army or something. He gave orders with absolutely no ‘extra talk’, not even a ‘Hello’. I felt like I wanted to go off by myself and think, or join the Amish clan and go back to a horse and buggy. It’s been four days and I still feel shook, plus nervous thinking I have to go back again. Made me lose all confidence in myself. [Jean was 39 years old and had never driven a car.]

[Days go by, but not without a record.]

I have picked a good many green beans from the two rows along the north fence. Last week I planted more beans in the garden east from the bedroom window and just a few days ago I planted even more beans. The sunflowers, huckleberries and zucchinis are growing vigorously. Those zucchinis are especially interesting for they have grown so large. I put the rotted leaves on my strawberries, and then watered them well last Monday. Now the ever-bearing ones are starting to bloom again. I enjoy my gardening even though it’s scattered about the yard. It affords me a means of relaxation plus an outlet for tensions. The apple trees are growing well now that they were trimmed this spring. I have all leaves though and very few apples. The Yellow Delicious, the worst looking tree in the beginning is the only one with any amount of apples on it. The red delicious that was covered with apples now has 3 on it and the Jonathan has none. Real disappointing after the good start they made. The peach trees are both loaded and hopefully we’ll get to reap the harvest. My pear tree out front has one pear on the very top.

Wednesday, July 14, 1971 --- I took my driving test again and passed with a 95. Five points off for “slow start-up at the light”. [Don’t remember having a victory party for Jean but she deserved it!] This is the end of excerpts from Jean’s Journal.

Well, does it sound like Mrs.Wordwright ever have much time to feel sorry for her self? Our lives were very busy in those years when we adopted our two children, tried to start a printing business and keep our heads “above the water” – money was not plentiful but somehow we made it. We know how we made it – our Heavenly Father watched over us and nothing stood in our way but what God knew about and it was strength of His doing that made it all work out. We soon discovered that the “new business” was not worth the cost we were paying to make it go – our family meant more than birthing that business so I decided to find a better way to earn a living. That’s when I entered the publishing field to work for the Charles E. Merrill Publishing Company. It was one of the best jobs I ever had.

THE WORDWRIGHT