This family photo inspired a chapter in Shelterbelts. These neighbor women worked in the kitchen during my grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary party at Tordenskjold Lutheran Church in 1956. The church had electricity but no indoor plumbing. These good women hauled large cream cans filled with water from their homes and lugged them down the steps into the church basement. They prepared lunch and cleaned up afterwards. What a gift they were to my grandparents. I can almost smell the egg coffee wafting through the church.
My story is not about an anniversary party, but about church women hosting a Pentecost Dinner at Tolga Lutheran Church. As I penned the chapter, I looked at these faces and remembered their strength and kindness. They all appear in Shelterbelts in one way or the other. They were descendants of pioneers, capable, hard-working farm women. Then and now, a good neighbor is a rare and valuable treasure.
One Response
So lucky to have grown up with women like these. They gave (and still give) with their hearts. The backbone of families, churches, and communities everywhere.