Andi's New Life

by Kristina V.

In this story you will see Andi's life pass from June 1991 until September 1950. 

JUNE 1881

“I wish I didn't have to grow up. It's dreadfully boring.”

******

AUGUST 2, 1899
 

“Lillian, come down from there. This minute!”
            “Andrea, what's wrong?” hollered Aaron.
            I turned long enough to see Aaron galloping in from the north pasture with Roy, our eldest son.
             “Lillian climbed up after Boots and she won't come down,” I explained.
            “Lillian, you obey your mother and come down right now. Boots can get down by himself.”
             “Pa, the branch is breaking,” wailed Lillian.

******

 
            I may be better known to you as Andi. I fell in love, got married, and had four children, almost five by now. Nevertheless my heart will never change. Ever since the first time I met Aaron, I knew my life would never be the same. One year later I became Mrs. Aaron Taner, and I went to live on our ranch, the Rocking T.
            As Mitch once told me, “I would prefer a levelheaded wife than a wife who puts on airs and who only thinks about herself.”

I found out he was right.
            I also found out that I was wrong. It's not so bad to grow up after all. Life is NEVER boring with a family of six, and the seventh on the way, but it CAN be downright terrifying! I never know what tomorrow might hold.

******

DECEMBER 31, 1899
 

As I look back on this last decade, I realize how many new things have appeared. The new invention that stands out the most in my mind happened in 1891. This man, James Naismith, invented an activity for the International YMCA's young men to play in the winter. You bounce a ball and then toss it into a basket hung on the wall. Who knows if someday my great grandsons will be playing this game.

******

APRIL 3, 1906

            “Ma, looky! I widing,” cried Helen with glee.
            “Edward, get your sister off that horse.” I hurried towards the corral.
            “Peter widing. I want to wide!” cried Helen.
            “No, Helen, you may not. It’s time for your nap. Peter, you know you’re not to take Helen riding with you until Pa gives you permission. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, Ma,” Peter whispered.

  “Now, go put Dusty in his stall and come inside the house. Pa will talk with you tonight.”

  “Peter, we need to talk,” said Pa, after supper. “Your sister is too young to be riding without Ma’s or my supervision. You must learn that, so you are not allowed to ride for the next three weeks.”

******

MAY 16, 1909
 

“Aaron, what is that terrible popping noise?” I asked.
            “It's coming from the road,” observed Aaron.
             “The lady's hair is on fire,” hollered James.
            “What...?”
            “Jenny. It has to be.” I scurried for the door as fast as I could. Throwing open the door, I saw Jenny Hutchinson, with her hair on “fire”, William, and about 4 children, driving up in a brand new Model T Ford automobile.
            “Andi!” cried Jenny.
             “What on earth are you doing here? Oh, it's so good to see you. How long has it been? I never thought you would be the first to ride in that automobile...”
            “When are you going to stop to take a breath?” giggled Jenny, like she was ten years old. “And for information's sake, I don't just ride in it, I own it. But never mind, you remember William, don't you? These are our children, Wade, Geneva, Christopher, and Clara.”
            “Hello, William and children. I've heard so much about you,” I welcomed. “This is my husband, Aaron, and our children, Lillian, Pearl, Edward, Peter, Helen, and James.”
            “Can I ride in your car?” begged Peter.
            “I can't believe how things have changed since when I was a little girl. What happened to the steamboats, trains, and buggies we used to have?” I asked Jenny, while riding in their automobile for the first time. “This automobile is marvelous, but Taffy still has a special place in my heart. She always will.”
            “Some days I wonder when this brand new Model T will be classified old and out of date,” answered Jenny.
  “Will it be tomorrow?”

******

SEPTEMBER 2, 1917
           

Peter cleared his throat, rather nervously, and said, “I've been drafted.”
            Time crawled for the next few seconds, and the silence in the dining room made it hard to breathe.   I can't tell you every thought that went through my head in those few seconds, but it was very terrifying.
            I can't let three of my sons go into that turmoil to get killed. But they have to obey the government.”
            Roy and Edward received their draft notice months ago. Roy left his wife and two small children to go fight in a war across the ocean. Edward left his betrothed, Ruth, just a few months before their wedding. We received very few letters from them and I couldn't let Peter go, too.
            “Ma, this is what God wants me to do,” stated Peter.
             I didn't understand what Peter meant, but I didn't ask.
            Why didn't I know this yesterday? I never thought there would ever be a war that would spread across the whole world and affect me.

******

NOVEMBER 19, 1917
 

Lillian, Pearl, Helen, and I have been volunteering our time at the Red Cross. Rolling bandages, sewing warm clothing, and knitting socks are among the projects we are assigned to.
            We received a letter from Roy today. He's been injured and is recovering in a French hospital. I never would have thought a few weeks ago, that he would be home with his family for Christmas.

******

JANUARY 29, 1919
           

The Great War, as everyone calls it, is over. Peter will never come home to California. We all miss him dearly, but we will be reunited in eternity.

Edward is home, with an amazing testimony.  “Ma, you know when we were little, you told us the story about George Washington, when two horses were shot out from under him. He also had four bullet holes in his coat, but he was uninjured.”

  I nodded and he went on.
            “I know it sounds strange, but the exact same thing happened to me. Soldiers were dying all around me and bullets flew right past my head. Even Peter, fighting right beside me, fell wounded and dying.
            “Sergeant Noris told me afterwards, ‘I expected to find you dead by the time the shooting quieted down. I saw three bullets flying toward you, but you never stopped firing back. Private Taner, you shouldn't be alive today. I don't know that I completely believe in your God, but I am starting to. He must be protecting you, for what reason I don't know.’
            “His words ‘what reason I don't know’ kept replaying in my mind. But I realized that's what Peter always meant. His calling from God was to live a shining example to everyone, even halfway around the globe. His life, here on earth, wasn't long, but it taught me a lot.
            “I've been doing a lot of praying and thinking. God's calling me to be a preacher. I never thought God could use my younger brother's death to show me His plan for my life,” testified Edward.
            I never would have thought that my one son would die, and my other son would become a preacher from his example.

******

DECEMBER 25, 1928

            “I going to be like Amy Hair Art when I grow up,” emphatically stated Betty.
            The whole room exploded into laughter.
            “I think you mean Amelia Earhart, Betty.”
            “Yes, Grandma, that's who I said,” replied Betty, clearly unaware of her mistake.
            “I wouldn't have flown across the ocean, no matter how much anyone pays me,” stated Helen, Betty's mother.
            “I don't think she should have either. It wasn't proper for a woman,” answered James.
            “A lot of women did things that weren't proper, in the past as well as today. I remember when I was growing up, my brother Mitch told me about this woman, Annie Oakley. She was a sharpshooter, who traveled around the world. She could outshoot most men, but people didn't think it was proper,” I told my children. “Women are being allowed to do so many more things now than they were when I was growing up.”

            “The way of life is changing so quickly. I never know what tomorrow might bring,” I told Aaron later that night when everything was quiet.

******

MAY 17, 1930

            Financially, the Rocking T is stable. All the children are doing alright. We had quite a few empty buildings on the ranch, so Roy and Aaron decided to let some of the ranch hands come live on the property. They lost their homes to the bank. Who would have thought the economy could crash? I never would have.

******

JANUARY 27, 1930

             “Grandma, they’re here! They’re here!” exclaimed Matthew.
            “Pearl, it's so good to see you.”
            “You, too, Ma. It's been hard for all of us the last few months, especially the children,” stated Pearl quietly.
            “Well, I think the children are going to enjoy it here,” said Charles, her husband, and we all laughed. The children were already playing with each other and our dogs in the yard.

******

 MARCH 8, 1935
  

“I am looking for work,” said one stranger.
            I had heard this statement over and over these last few years. We had hired a few more ranch hands, but we couldn't use any more help. All we could do was let them stay here, on the ranch, for a few nights.
            I thank God every day that the ranch has been able to support us. So many people have lost their homes, even Pearl. We have been so blessed.

******

OCTOBER 31, 1937
 

“Matthew Taner, why are you out of school? You know better than to play hooky,” demanded Mary, my daughter-in-law.
            “The teacher sent me home. She called me in from lunch and told me to go home,” answered Matthew.
            “Why on earth would she do that? Did you misbehave?” questioned Mary.
             “No, ma'am. I did everything she told me. I was really quiet and didn't even play baseball at recess.”
            “I am going to go talk to that teacher. She has no right to send my son home, without an explanation.”
 
            “Matthew! Come down here this minute!”
            “What's the matter, Mary?” asked Roy.
            “The matter! Your son, that's what,” huffed Mary.
            “Yes, Mama, what did my teacher say?” inquired Matthew.
             “Matthew, why on earth did you take a snake to school? You must never do that again.” demanded Mary.
            “What did she do with Greens? She didn't kill him, did she?”
             “I don't know nor do I care. You scared her to death. When you go back to school on Monday, you owe her an apology. Is that clear?” scolded Mary.
            “Yes, ma'am,” said Matthew ruefully.
 
             “Matthew really took a snake to school.” mused Roy, after the children went to bed. “Like I always thought about doing it myself, but I never did.”
            “I tried once, but Miss Hanks found out before I even got into the classroom. She was a smart teacher,” replied Aaron.
            “You two only tried once?” I asked.
            “Don't tell me you tried, too?” asked Mary.
            “Me? No, I never took a snake to school.” I replied with a chuckle.
            “I sense a story coming,” Aaron leaned back to enjoy a long forgotten tale.
            “Oh, I didn't take a snake to school, but my friend Cory Blake would bring me a snake every year on the first day of school. One year I got two snakes. The first snake Virginia Foster found in my desk. Then I got kidnapped, accidently shot, and lost my memory. When I regained my memory, Cory brought me another snake. Then I had to figure out what to do with it so I wouldn’t get in trouble.”

  “Amazing. You were kidnapped?” asked Roy.
            “Well I didn't plan it that way but that was God's will.”

******

FEBRUARY 21, 1943

 

“The cattle broke through the fence, again. Pa and I will be out late trying to fix it and round up the cattle,” Roy informed Mary and me before heading back to the range.

 “I wish they could get some barbed wire to keep those cows in,” stated Mary.

  “Well barbed wire, as well as sugar are rationed right now,” I stated matter-of-factly.

  “Don’t forget about the coffee, gasoline, and kerosene,” she replied.

  “Yes, almost everything has been rationed. I’m glad we grow a lot of our own food: beef, poultry, vegetables, fruit, and some grains. We have much to thank the LORD for,” I commented.

  “This war is worse that the Great War. I am happy to support our troops, but it’s definitely been a struggle not to have certain items in abundance,” said Mary.

  “I never would have imagined such wide spread rationing.”  

******

APRIL 9, 1947

 

“What are you making, Carrie Jane?” I asked my granddaughter.

  “Your birthday cake! Henry and Mama are helping me,” exclaimed Carrie Jane. “We were going surprise you.”

  “Well I’ll still be surprised. Be careful around the stove, alright dear,” I warned.

  “Mama is taking care of the baking,” came her reply.

  “Are we going to have some of that delicious cake I saw in the kitchen?” asked Aaron.
               “I made it for Grandma. She gets the biggest and first piece,” answered Carrie Jane.
               “Thank you, Carrie Jane. And it's even chocolate cake.”
               “Try it Grandma,” Carrie Jane said happily.
               I took a large bite and coughed. It was the saltiest thing I had ever tasted. I quickly swallowed all the water in my glass.
               Mary realized something was wrong and took a nibble of cake. Then she disappeared into the kitchen.
               “Grandma, what did I do wrong?” wailed Carrie Jane.
               “You tried your best, and even I make mistakes cooking.”
               “What's wrong with it?” she asked.
               “It's just a little salty, dear. It is a very good cake despite being salty.”
 
               “It was definitely a BIG surprise.” I confided to Aaron later.
               “Well I would think that two tablespoon of salt would be a surprise.” answered Aaron.

******

SEPTEMBER 24, 1950

            As I look back on my life, I realize how many times I wasn't prepared for what happened in it. Sometimes the things were good, sometimes bad,  sometimes scary, but always unexpected. I haven't always known what tomorrow would hold.
            Did I know that I would witness a back alley murder, or that my son would be killed? Did I know that Taffy would have twins, or that my granddaughter would make me Salt cake? I didn't. I had no way to know.

  But I know and trust one to hold my future. The Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. I don't need to know, or even want to know, what tomorrow holds for me.
            I therefore lay down my pen, for there is nothing more for me to write, but that I have entrusted my life to God.
            Take me home as You see profitable, God.

ROMANS 8:28
            “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”