Special Guest Ada Brownell
Today, Special Guest Ada Brownell joins us to talk about her experience growing up in a large family.
Ada is a retired newspaper reporter who also has
written for Christian publications since age 15. She is author of five books,
two fiction and three non-fiction: The
Lady Fugitive; Joe the Dreamer: the Castle and the Catapult; Imagine the Future
You; Swallowed by LIFE: Mysteries of Death, Resurrection and the Eternal;
Confessions of a Pentecostal, out of print but now available for Kindle.
Read the first chapter of The Lady Fugitive here: http://ow.ly/CHtxB
Ada’s Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KJ2C06
A late October day I arrived in Fruita, Colorado, screaming.
The doctor and Mama grinned, but to some ears it wasn’t a welcome sound.
Mama and Daddy had seven children. I was the eighth and the
fifth girl. The family had escaped from the Kansas Dust Bowl and the Great
Depression, but feeding and clothing so many wasn’t going to be easy.
Daddy and my oldest brother, Virgil, took jobs shoveling
coal from railroad cars into trucks for $1 for a 12-hour day.
Yet, Mama was excited. The two bedroom home with a back
porch was theirs—as well as the 10 acres of irrigated farmland. They could grow
fruit, a garden. Pasture fed cows and other animals.
A greater reason for rejoicing came soon, but at first Mama
was horrified. My sister, Marjorie, the first of girls, wanted to go to church
with a high school friend. It was the “holy-roller church,” and she didn’t
think Marge should go there.
“Oh, let her go,” Daddy said. “I heard they teach young
people to obey their parents there.”
Marjorie had a powerful experience with God that changed her
from rebellion to loving, and soon God sent friends to my older siblings and
they accepted Jesus as Savior. One by one everyone in our family dedicated
their lives to God, including Mama and Daddy. At age 5 I knelt at the same
altar, weeping, because I wanted my sins to be forgiven before Jesus came back.
Excitement filled the church. The Jews gathered to their
homeland for the first time since the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70,
fulfilling Ezekiel’s prophecy about the dry bones (and others), meaning Jesus
would come soon. I understood.
It’s amazing how our
family affects us. Joy filled our house. When we were together, and it’s still
like that, singing and laughter rang. A few times my siblings would get into a scrap,
but for the most part love prevailed. We loved work and each person enjoyed
what his hands could do. Most of us had a drive to study.
Virgil worked his way through Bible school, began teaching
and kept studying until he received a doctorate in education and sociology.
Everette worked his way to a degree and became a pastor.
Joe got a job and
became one of the first in the Assemblies of God to receive a doctorate in
music.
Marjorie spent some time in ministry with her husband and
much of her life sang in a church trio. A great cook and hostess, she
ministered to people through love and friendship.
Clara attended Bible school, worked as a World War II
riveter, and often played the piano in church.
Joan played the mandolin and faithfully served the Lord.
Erma used to preach to the barnyard animals and always
planned to marry a preacher, but instead she lived a life loving her husband,
children and others.
It’s amazing how blessed I am from being in this family.
Mama and Daddy seldom had angry words. There was so much music in our house
(everybody played an instrument) I don’t remember being unable to sing harmony.
These things I learned from having four sisters:
Marjorie: Have a heart full of love.
Clara: If something needs done, do it.
Joan: Don’t be sexy; be classy.
Erma: Laugh, love and enjoy your life.
After I married, five children filled our home, and even
they are blessed. Carolyn is in heaven and the other four and their spouses as
well as their children serve God.
Question: What have
you learned from your siblings?
About Ada's Book:
How does a
respected elocutionist become a face on a wanted poster?
Jenny Louise Parks
escapes from the coal bin, and her abusive uncle offers a handsome reward for
her return. Because he is a judge, he will find her or he won’t inherit her
parents’ ranch.
Determination to
remain free grips Jenny, especially after she meets William and there’s a hint
of romance. But while peddling household goods and showing a Passion of the
Christ moving picture, he discovers his father’s brutal murder.
Will
Jenny avoid the bounty hunters? Can she forgive the person who turns her in?
Will she find peace, joy and love?
I think the importance of having family around you! Our family has been through some rough patches and I think without having one another we would be in some dark places emotionally! Thanks for sharing! Really enjoyed your post! :)
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you, Laura! So glad you enjoyed Ada's post as much as I did. :)
Delete