My Dearest Naomi (21 page)

I’ll also be going to Bible study tonight.

Whatever bug I had is gone, I think. Last night I told Luella I was sick, but she wouldn’t believe me. She told me it was just my imagination. So I said, “Okay, bring me the thermometer and I’ll show you.”

The temperature was close to 100, but I still went to Bible study. I
don’t know where the bug went, but I woke up feeling much better this morning.

Getting exercise is a problem for me when I teach school, so I have been trying to jog when I have the chance.

And how is this for a little incident? The other day Brandon took all his books home from school to show his mom, he said. Then he forgot to bring them back the next morning. I told him he still has to do his work, but at home that evening. He came up to class with the others and listened to the lesson. That way he would know what to do when he got home. By afternoon though, this all must have gotten to him because he put his head in his hands and started crying. There wasn’t much I could do but wait until he stopped.

We’ve practiced the Christmas program four times now. There are still places where there could be improvements. Mark and Anthony haven’t been to school all week, which will make things hard for them, but I guess everyone will have to make the best of things.

Luella asked me if I wanted to go for a chiropractor treatment for a leg ache that I have. I told her no, at least not for now. I don’t like chiropractors—or any doctors for that matter.

Talking about doctors, Mom wrote that they want me to visit a doctor one of their friends has recommended. Someone in Missouri. It’s because of my occasional depression problems. I don’t know about all that. A doctor’s not going to do any good. I think my depression is a result of a thing called life.

We hung all the decorations at school, and things look really nice, if I say so myself. The schoolhouse shines with real Christmas spirit. I’d still like to make more decorations, but it’s got to stop somewhere.

Work, work, and more work, but it keeps me sane.

Love you,

Eugene

December 9

Greetings of Christian love.

I will try to write neatly, but I’m very tired so don’t expect much. Dad left a gate open in the barn, and our two horses decided to venture forth all the way to the back fields. It was a long walk to get them all in, plus doing our regular chores.

I had my eyes checked this forenoon, and they are about the same as last time. Mom still had me order new glasses with plastic lenses. I never thought I would buy plastic lenses since they scratch so easily, but these are supposed to be 48 percent lighter than glass, so maybe that will make them easier to tolerate.

This afternoon I worked at the Bachs’ again. Yesterday she had me there because she wanted to go to town. Today she went to play bridge. I’m learning to tolerate that dog a little better. He actually lifted his chops and looked at me.

The new sidewalks look pretty nice. Tonight I walked all the way around the barn and danced a little jig. You should have seen me! I knew Larry and Don were around somewhere, but I thought they were behind the shop. They weren’t. So they got a good laugh out of my antics. Can you imagine me dancing on a concrete sidewalk?

I’m looking forward to Christmas.
Really
looking forward to it.

Your Naomi

December 12

“The L
ORD
bless thee, and keep thee” (Numbers 6:24).

My letters might not be very dependable for a while. I write three times a week, but with everything so hectic I probably won’t get them out evenly. I’m going to try though.

The people out there must like Florida a lot. It seems like they are making extra work for you, as if you didn’t already have enough.

We had a good day at church yesterday, even with the cold weather. There was a visiting minister whom I liked. He preached the main sermon. He’s much younger than Dad, but could he ever talk. Everybody liked him, from what the girls said afterward. I don’t think anyone slept while he preached. Not even Katherine Yoder, who, as you know, dozes off right when the first note is sung. Well, that’s a little exaggerated.

The minister spoke on grace. I didn’t know anyone could preach so much on grace and not get boring, but he did. And I couldn’t believe the way he knew his Scripture.

Dad asked afterward, “How can anyone memorize so much?”

At one point he said that grace is a gift and has no strings attached. Like God doesn’t say if you do so and so, I will give you grace. The minister said grace is ready for you to take. And he stressed very much that everybody is equal in the eyes of God. We all come to Him with our needs and not to give anything.

The minister said we choose to sin, and he gave anger as an example. When you are out in the barn and something happens, you can get so mad. When the door opens though and someone comes in, you’re immediately fine, with the anger all gone. That’s because we choose to stop. That wasn’t a pleasant thought, but I agree with him.

He also explained the verse to me where it says that if we walk in the Spirit we will not sin. He said, “Sure, while you’re in the Spirit you don’t sin. It’s staying with God that’s difficult.” He said that being tempted is not sin, it’s when we choose to give in to temptation. He had a lot more to say, but I can’t remember everything. I do know his sermon was one of the highlights of the day.

Church was at Robert’s, and I drove to and from the hymn singing with Don. I’m sure he’s starting to eye some girl, but he won’t tell me who. It’s really none of my business anyway. We used the surrey in the morning,
of course, and then Don used his buggy in the evening. He’s got a nice horse, but not as nice as yours.

I’m getting a little out of sorts with this mail business. Pretty soon my letters might go to Texas if they’re already going through Gary, Indiana.

I hope you are better from your bug.

I love you much,

Naomi

December 14

Last night I broke down and went to the chiropractor for my aching leg. Luella kept after me until I gave in. You would have thought I was all broken in pieces from how the chiropractor carried on. And only his healing touch could ever mend the parts. He cracked and pushed and did his thing and called me better for the moment. He claimed my left hip was out of place, as well as three vertebrae in my neck. He said my jogging hasn’t been helping things. I’m supposed to go back next week, of which I have no intention of doing.

For the past two mornings we’ve been practicing the Christmas program with the stage and curtain up. We put the curtain back and forth with every speaker change. I’m not satisfied with the sound of the children’s singing, but there doesn’t seem to be much I can do about it.

Tomorrow night the young folks will make fruit baskets to pass out when they go Christmas caroling. Then Tuesday evening I have asked Lonnie and Luella to help me hang the last-minute decorations in the schoolhouse windows. Friday night is the program.

I’m hoping you are full of wedding ideas when I come home…or is this too soon?

I love you,

Eugene

December 15

Don dropped me off a few minutes ago from our evening at the young folks’ gathering. We were putting shelves in at Monroe’s store, and I rather enjoyed it. I worked with the new girl who will be moving into the community. The family is here for a week and will be back permanently after Christmas sometime. Her name is Sarah, and what a girl! She’s nice, friendly, witty, and only five months older than I am.

Your sisters weren’t there, as well as some of the other young folks. Even with all the young people we have, a few being absent makes a noticeable difference. We almost didn’t have the gathering because of the weather. It was raining, cold, and nasty this evening. I think it’s been raining all day, and it’s still coming down. All the snow on the ground is gone. There’s nothing in the fields but brown grass and water running in the ditches.

I worked at Mrs. Bach’s this afternoon. Their dog was run over yesterday on the road by some driver speeding by, so no more dog. He was a nasty piece of work, even though he did finally deem me worthy of a look the other day. I felt sorry for Mrs. Bach, who had tears in her eyes while she was telling me the story. Dad had come in the morning to fix her front door, and he told me she cried telling him the story. I guess I would cry too if our dog died. It’s just that ours is a nice dog. But I suppose you would get attached to your dog—even if he is nasty.

Yesterday Dad borrowed Richard’s Bobcat to pour stone in our mud pit, and Don was helping him grind feed. Anyway, the motor stopped on the Bobcat, and Dad had the loader up. In order to get out, he put his hand out on the frame. Out of habit, he moved the other hand, lowering the loader. The shaft came down right on his hand. He yelled for help, but Don couldn’t hear him above the roar of the tractor.

Dad tried to start the motor, but couldn’t. After some time, he saw Robert’s Joseph coming down the road with their Bobcat, and Dad waved with all his might for him to stop in. Which he did, running first to Dad, and then going for help from Don. Together they pried the loader up far enough so Dad could get his hand out. We think it was under there for a good half hour.

Dad said it seemed like an hour. He came into the house, looking the hand over. No one thinks there are any bones broken. The hand looks gross, but Dad won’t go to the doctor. Mom got him to soak the hand in
salt water and then bandaged it for him. He went back outside to work, and Don has gone to help make wood for Junior this afternoon.

Junior either has had, or will have, another operation. Anyway, I was Dad’s left hand all afternoon. We cleaned the boards from the sidewalks and fixed the one shaft on the single buggy.

I received one of your wonderful letters today. By the way, I’m glad you act like a little boy sometimes because I most certainly don’t always act grown up.

It’s a little after midnight, so I’d better sign off. How I look forward to Christmas and talking about our wedding.

I love you much,

Naomi

December 15

Greetings of Christian love.

The time is around 4:30, but I’m home from school already. There doesn’t seem to be that much work at the school right now, which is strange with the Christmas program coming up. I must have worked ahead further than I thought.

There was no letter from you when I arrived home, which was disappointing to say the least, but maybe the mailman is to blame. I hope it’s not for some other reason.

Tomorrow morning will be the last time we practice the program. The children want to practice again Friday morning, but I said no. I think they will be fresher for the evening’s presentation if they haven’t gone through the program earlier in the day.

Dena wasn’t in school today for some reason. I sure hope she shows up for the school program on Friday night, but with her I never can tell.

I checked today on where I am with the first-grade reading schedule because I have been pushing them hard. We still have fifty stories to go and at least sixty-four days to read them in, so I should have time to spare. At least that’s better than being behind. The third, fourth, and fifth grades are behind in their arithmetic. I’ll have to remember that after Christmas and keep pushing.

It’s hard to keep track of everything, but I do know which subjects can be pushed easily and which can’t.

I’ve been thinking about writing a story that has been running through my head the past few days. So far I haven’t gotten up enough nerve to try. Where the idea came from, I don’t know. It must have fallen out of the sky, although that’s not quite possible. The story is about a man who is forbidden to ever see the girl he loves again.

Lonnie and Luella have gone to see their granddaughter, who is in the hospital. They are quite concerned, and there were whispers of bone cancer tonight at the supper table. The doctor’s reports aren’t back, so perhaps it won’t be that at all. Luella is very attached to the girl, as she is to all her grandchildren. Even Lonnie gets into the grandchild thing, though he doesn’t like to show it. He says when the grandchildren are around he doesn’t get any attention from Luella. On those days, he says, he wishes he were a grandchild.

I had Duane come up to the schoolhouse this morning. We practiced moving the curtains back and forth on the platform. It went okay.

Last night the young folks had a gathering to assemble Christmas fruit baskets. It was held at Saul’s, with pizza served. The whole thing lasting until midnight. Whoa…that is the hour Amish dating ceases on a Sunday night, and you weren’t even here. What a shame.

I walked home in the pitch-black darkness with the stars ablaze overhead. It was beautiful, to say the least—about as beautiful as you are but not quite. I tried to imagine that you were with me, but I didn’t get very far. I hope to see you soon.