Grandma was born on a farm in a little town called Overton, Nebraska in 1907.
She was the oldest of three children and very early on she learned about hard work, dependability, respect and accountability.
Before school she had work to do. That was just the way they did things then, so kids never thought a lot about it. She milked the cows, fed and watered the chickens, and helped with whatever else needed to be done...all before a long walk to school.
Her mother was a phenomenal cook and a terrific bread baker. Grandma used to talk about how wonderful the house smelled when she came home from school and how she didn't feel she had the "gift" to be a great bread baker. (I think she had the gift, but the kneading was painful for her arthritic hands...that's okay, we didn't need the carbs anyway!)
Before school she had work to do. That was just the way they did things then, so kids never thought a lot about it. She milked the cows, fed and watered the chickens, and helped with whatever else needed to be done...all before a long walk to school.
Her mother was a phenomenal cook and a terrific bread baker. Grandma used to talk about how wonderful the house smelled when she came home from school and how she didn't feel she had the "gift" to be a great bread baker. (I think she had the gift, but the kneading was painful for her arthritic hands...that's okay, we didn't need the carbs anyway!)
After graduating high school, Grandma trained to become a nurse at Nicholas Senn Hospital in Omaha. She told us all kinds of stories about the long demanding days of her training. Early in the morning the girls got their exercise swimming laps in the hospital pool. Then they would endure being on their feet--all day long--12 to 15 hours. No wonder Grandma had terrible foot pain due to bunions. Probably because of those long days on her feet with improperly fitting shoes. There was simply no money for shoes in the late 1920s.
When Grandma graduated, her family sold their farm and planned to move to Joliet, Illinois where some other family members had relocated. Grandma decided to follow them. She took and passed her Illinois State Boards and began working in a pediatric hospital there. In that hospital she met her future husband, Donald, and they were married in 1931. They spent many happy years in Joliet and the Chicago area and raised their three children. Grandma spent time as a school nurse so she could keep one eye on her kids. She was a loving, devoted mother who had a gift for making her house a home. Holidays were memorable, family gatherings were common, and during the summer they spent a good deal of time at their cabin at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin.
Not quite ready to retire yet, Grandma continued her nursing career in pediatrics and finally in geriatrics. She said the care for both was the same--a lot of love and a lot of patience for the young and the old. After Grandma's death we found a shoe box filled with notes, poems, and cards from some of her patients in the nursing home. Those dear folks meant so much to her (and she meant so much to them too!) She really found her calling in nursing. That was apparent in the way she cared for all of her patients.
After retiring for good she loved attending church and her Bible study groups, going to her various club and guild meetings, and tending her gardens. Her special joy was spending time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She loved her family more than anything.
Her other special joy and lifelong passion was cooking, where her servant's heart could shine through! Clear up to the end no one could keep Grandma out of her kitchen!
Grandma passed away in April 2000 at the age of 92. A long full life of caring for others and giving 100% of herself with nothing expected in return. She was an amazing woman. She lived a life of gratitude and felt so richly blessed with family and friends, but most of all, she loved Jesus and to Him she gave all the glory!
I don't know whether we'll be given "jobs" in heaven, but if so I would bet Grandma is helping prepare and serve delicious food...and she won't even have to worry about calories and cholesterol. Guess that's why they call it heaven!
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I am Grandma's granddaughter, Lydia, and I'll be sharing her passion with you. I was blessed to have been raised by Grandma and Grandpa and I was right there in the kitchen with her when she cooked--learning it all and soaking it up like a sponge. She made it look so effortless! There was never any stress or impatience. Planning was key. So many lessons I didn't even realize I was getting! But it was all there.
What I didn't realize was how massive her collection of recipes was. It took many years to sort it, scan it, type it, copy it, try it, and adopt it as a worthwhile wonder. Now more than 10 years after her death, Grandma's legacy of caring and service lives on in our kitchen...and in yours! I hope you enjoy the kitchen as much as Grandma did. Always remember (as Grandma used to say): "Prepare your food with love, which is a seasoning that cannot be bought!"
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