Girl With The Windblown Bob
by
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From some deeply hidden source, Sarah found the necessary reserve, the strength and the extraordinary courage to command a team of four horses---taking them through dense woods, and over dangerous rivers and rocky streams on this long and grueling journey. The unbelievable rigors of this arduous undertaking took their toll. Sarah was sorely tested in her constant fight to ward off total exhaustion. This endeavor, requiring steely, unwavering nerves, and the stamina of Atlas, was a challenge for the most stalwart of men making the same trip, but was inconceivable for a woman, traveling alone through the backwoods, with four children.
From her photo in the book, one would assume that Sarah was a lady who would find herself more at home presiding over tea parties than struggling with a team of horses, or the enslavement of helping settle an obstinate land. Surely her determination in the face of such peril and adversity, must give new meaning to the words stamina, endurance, courage, love, loyalty, and yes, even nobility.
It’s unlikely that there has ever been a more exuberant and wildly-exciting reunion in the history of mankind than the one that took place the day this band of worn out, travel-weary adventurers made it by horse and wagon from their home in
Sweltering in a tall stand of prairie grass, tangled vines and thorny bushes, on the near side of the cabin where he was struggling to clear a new field from this inhospitable virgin prairie land, Stephen stopped for a breather. He had just taken a large blue bandanna from his pocket and was wiping away the sweat, dripping from his face, when he glanced up and spotted the wagon containing the determined little band of trail-weary but hearty travelers just as the team topped the nearby rise. The vision now forming before his unbelieving eyes was something of which he had been dreaming through endless days and countless lonely nights!
With a wildly whooping shout, dropping the reins of the team he was using to plow this fertile, but weed-choked patch of land, Stephen began yelling and waving to attract the attention of his family as he started frantically running toward the wagon. Leaping over split-rail fences and newly-hewn tree stumps in his feverish haste to throw his arms around his advancing family, he ran like one possessed.
Having gotten glimpses through the trees, of what they were hoping was a cabin up ahead, the children began calling out to him, leaping and flinging themselves headlong off the wagon at their first sight of Stephen. The lot of them, nearly delirious with excitement, raced wildly in their eagerness to get to him, stumbling and falling as they ran. Sarah, too, threw all caution aside, tossing the reins of her team into the air, no longer mindful of, or caring where the horses went, in the raw emotion of this moment and her relieved need to feel herself enveloped in the strong, loving arms of her beloved Stephen.
Months of pent-up nerves, and the strain of excessive toil, now found instant release in Stephen. The stunning joy of seeing his family insulated Stephen from any conscious awareness of the piercing thorns and stinging nettles that were ripping into his clothing and exposed flesh as he plunged headlong into the brush. Simultaneously laughing and weeping with excitement, mindlessly leaping over thickets of wild underbrush, his only thought was of reaching his dear family and smothering them with kisses and scooping each one into his longing arms.
Stephen was sure his heart was near bursting from shock, and the overpowering elation of glimpsing this wonderfully bedraggled crew coming toward him over the rise. Breathless from the exertion and excitement of racing to reach the little group, he collapsed into their midst, throwing his arms open wide in his frenzied effort to clutch them all at one time. Joyful tears swam in every eye of this reunited family. The children, wild with excitement, clung to their father in happiness and relief-filled emotion, knowing that at last they were safely home.
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About the Book
Mention the word “Depression,” and people immediately conjure up negative images: soup kitchens, unemployment lines, bankruptcies, and groveling misery. Oh, it was that, all right, but it may come as a surprise to learn that many people living through this admittedly rough period made it through, not only by surviving, but surviving remarkably well under the circumstances.
These stalwarts were somehow able to see beyond the oppressiveness of their present, keeping future expectations alive. They were unwilling to remain forever shackled to a debilitating past, or defeated by the dismal nature of the Depression
Era. Instead, these optimists found ways to make these years as normal for themselves and their children as possible, and many found it exciting.
Hardy folks, they managed to draw strength from a source buried deep within their souls, hearts and minds; and from this rich spiritual supply their needs were met. This inner strength compensated them, in large part, for their unfairly-dealt hand, even restoring a goodly measure of humor where there was little.
It’s my hope that every visitor coming along on this time adventure will learn something about the wonderful and interesting people who traveled this road, how they lived, what they did for fun, and the many times they were forced to learn the masterful art of coping, often bringing them to view the glass as Half Full.
From them, this generation has inherited a world of opportunity. These bright and exciting prospects are their heritage; a legacy of hard-won benefits bequeathed by those of my generation and the many generations who came before. This, then, is the story of a few of our gentle, spirited, loving, hard working, ancestors, and their struggle to carve out a new life in a continually changing world. Because of their struggle, they have provided a legacy for future generations; underwritten by the dogged determination of some others who picked up the obligation where their forefathers left off.
About the Author
Having lived most of the experiences written about here, that which started as lively entertainment for family progressed into a full-fledged book by the author. The idea caught fire through the encouragement of her family who thought her stories needed to be told to a wider audience. Having written, and rewritten the book at least eight times, this comes a warning to anyone who becomes bitten by the writing bug. One memory after another keeps the juices flowing, and the helpful criticism of scholarly friends brings many re-writes. Once inspired, it is impossible to put down this obsessive task, forcing one to stay the course to the end.
Because she lived in part through the Great Depression, flourished in spite of it, she now sees much value in such humble beginnings. Writing about living through these years reminded her that despite its negative spot in history, for her life was a joy---contrary to what one might expect. In fact, her observation is that the kids of that period learned a lot more about making-do, inventiveness, creativity, self-sufficiency and a sense of community---because of this very lack of many of the things that are considered “necessary” for our children today. Their lowered expectation for material things didn’t result in a lack of drive or a striving to succeed, but merely became a catalyst for reinforcing them.
Having studied at the
In addition to writing, Arlene is an accomplished watercolor artist, decorator, and is involved in many things creative. She and her husband, Bob, love to travel, usually spending the winter months in
With the coming of the computer age, writing had become her main focus; and for over three years she has sent a daily Bible verse, and commentary, to a group of interested people across the country.