Note: The following piece continues the extended essay, "How I became a Mennonite," which began in the June 15 post. It is the story of the revolution in my family that occurred when my mother 'went forward' at a revival service at the Lodi Mennonite Brethren Church in Lodi, California. I had just turned thirteen … Continue reading Bk 4.3 After the Revival: Me
Stockton CA
Bk 4. 2: After the Revival – Dad
NOTE: The following piece continues the story begun in my last post: "How I became a Mennonite." When my father looked through the window in the door that led into the sanctuary of the Lodi Mennonite Brethren church that late winter morning in 1951 and saw my mother kneeling at the front pew he knew … Continue reading Bk 4. 2: After the Revival – Dad
Epilogue: The House on Coronado Avenue
The house in the photo above is where I lived a major part of my childhood. My family moved there the fall of 1942; we moved away in June 1949. I was four when we moved in, eleven when we moved out. I had finished 6th grade at Woodrow Wilson Elementary and would have entered … Continue reading Epilogue: The House on Coronado Avenue
10. School
November 1947: November is the beginning of the rainy season, the month the weather pattern shifts and brings rain-filled clouds to end the long, dry California summer. I am sitting at my desk in Mrs Bellows’ room at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School. Rain is hitting the glass on the tall windows that line the … Continue reading 10. School
6. Stockton: WWII
“When Lowell and I quit Junior College we went to Lodi and lived with your parents until the war. We enlisted shortly after. Your parents made several moves before they lived on 21 West Third Street in Stockton. While on Third Street your dad and I got jobs driving dump trucks at the Stockton Airport.” … Continue reading 6. Stockton: WWII
Jack Willems: “Truck Driving Exploits”
Truck driving was my father’s default occupation, the job he turned to when other projects didn’t turn out. It was a default occupation because he was good at it, and though he disliked working for other people, he did enjoy driving and took pride in his skill at handling the big diesel rigs. Below are … Continue reading Jack Willems: “Truck Driving Exploits”
