Proposal Day – 35 Years Ago

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He was 20 and I was 22. We lived in the House of His Presence near the U of O campus with 30-plus other young people, most of them students. He worked in housing construction and I was the HOHP cook!

Our first date was when, after our Friday night college Bible study, he invited me to take a walk with him. I remember thinking how anxious I was to get out of the house for a while, since I lived and worked there, and was unwilling to walk around campus in the dark alone. That’s basically how we courted. I don’t remember ever spending money on our dates, but we may have had an occasional hamburger or (most likely) ice cream.

There was one stereo cabinet in the living room that we all shared, and this song was one that Jerry and I loved: Joy By Surprise, by Bob Ayala. Here’s a link.

Thank you for 35 years of love and adventure, Jerry Davis, and thank you for being the man you are!

Rookie Writer at Work

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I’ve been busy busy busy writing these past two weeks, working on a story that may become a book.  The theme of it is about family life in simpler, not necessarily easier times.  So far, this is what’s hatching:

Louise is a newly married pastor’s wife serving in an east Texas town where children play with their toy trucks in the street and the houses have fences for keeping the cows and pigs out of the yard.  A little girl she’s become acquainted with comes to her home for cookies and attention when things get rough at home.  She recently revealed that her mama is worried about the child she is carrying.

I’d love to collect memories, reflections, ideas, quips on daily life in a small town in the mid 1940s to 1950s.  I can be contacted on Facebook at Kathy Sheldon Davis if my contact page here doesn’t work for you.

After the Conference – Time to Get Busy

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I lost one of the pages I took notes on today at the OCW (Oregon Christian Writers) conference in Salem, but I remember these points that I felt God wanted me to hear:

1.  From Lauraine Snelling:  Years ago she was asked what she wanted to write and she stumbled around looking for the “right” answer.  Her interviewer questioned her more than once and she finally pinned it down.  She admitted she wanted to write horse stories for girls.  Then he asked, “So, what’s stopping you?”  She continues to be a prolific writer today.

From that I hear that I need to be clear and honest about what I want to write, then do it.

2.  From Jodi Detrick, guest columnist for a Seattle newspaper (I left my notes somewhere, so I’m not sure if it was the Seattle Times or not), I was reminded to get my tools out of my toolbox and get busy.

This was an analogy that I’d used myself just prior to the conference!  I was thinking of Noah and his commission from God to build the ark.  God gave him instructions, but Noah had to show up with his tools and start the work.  I think my next steps are to write a short story/article and look for a publisher and then take a course in writing fiction.  I’ve got to learn how to use these tools!

Oregon Christian Writers Conference

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When I closed my proofreading & copy editing business a few years ago I felt my hope to become a published writer was also going away.  I had worked on my business for 3 years, studying my course work, learning from my editor and author clients.  I even attended an Oregon Christian Writers conference in Eugene to see if there were people I could network with, i.e. learn more from.  I helped a writer I had befriended to polish her blog, but shortly after that she passed away.  It seemed my writing wasn’t going anywhere.

After some bumps and turns in my road to identifying my new after-raising-children job description, I’ve turned back toward writing.  I know that I’ve posted some rather boring stuff.  I’m guilty of giving it less than my best effort.  Sometimes I’m not even sure who I am speaking to or what I’m trying to say.

Dorcas Smucker, a local author who seems in some ways to walk a parallel path to mine (though many steps ahead of me), wrote recently that she might try her hand at writing fiction.  I might have considered doing that for a day or so, but would have quickly changed course.  I was convinced I should value only truth and reality, and fiction just wasn’t to be trusted.  Here’s where my road turned.  Now I want to learn to write fiction!

My first step is to attend the Oregon Christian Writers Conference this weekend in Salem.  After that, we’ll see!

Grandma Needs A Time Out

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I think the older I get, the more time outs I need.  Really!  I certainly can tell when I’ve neglected one too many of my daily “sit and listen to Jesus” times, devotions, quiet times, prayer times, or whatever you want to call it times.  Something seems to sour in me, like curdled milk.  And when I notice my less-than-gracious thoughts, like flies gathering around my head, have become a nuisance, that’s when it usually dawns on me that I’d better take time to get straightened out.  Hopefully this realization comes to me before I say or do or believe something I’ll regret.

When everyone is in bed is the best time for me, and the sweet thing is that it’s not a punishment to “sit in the corner” in my time out with God.  It’s a reward!

Sometimes I read the Bible, chapter after chapter, and find that many things I’d learned are woven together with ideas just recently uncovered.  Sometimes I take notes.  Sometimes I copy a few lines so I can look at them more carefully and refer to them later.  Sometimes I write my thoughts or prayers.  Sometimes I doodle.  Often I end up dozing off.  Then I fold it all up and put it in his hands and go to bed.  Time outs are quite effective (and necessary) at my age!

Thoughts by the Fireside

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7:30 a.m.  In the dark of the morning I see the snow has come, enough of it to watch travel on the road carefully this morning.  I just heard one of my neighbors leaving for work and it sounded like he was navigating his truck more slowly than usual.  And since it’s a national holiday there is no school for Kayli.  A good morning to stay indoors by the fire my husband stoked for me before he left for work!

10:30 a.m.  I just had a nice long chat with my parents who are visiting relatives and friends in southern California.  After spending time reading the obituaries of 2 long-time acquaintances this weekend, it was sweet to talk with my parents who are still with me.  They have always been my dearest friends.  Thank you, God, for choosing them for me!

A thought I would like to record:  I enjoy writing because it keeps me honest, it requires me to pin down my thoughts and make sense of my choices, it feels like a contract that would be hard to get out of, and it’s good for me.  Thank you, God, for words!

A Strange Anniversary

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At 3 p.m. today I got a call from a friendly sounding gentleman who said simply, “I do.”

He was calling from Tenmile Creek where he was fishing for steelhead and probably standing in the river grinning.  He said he had been thinking about the music that was playing precisely 34 years ago when he was waiting for me to appear at 3:15 p.m. in my wedding dress – to marry him, and he wanted me to know that he was still saying “I do.”

What a unique day!

He didn’t know till he arrived home that I’d been shopping for a pair of waders for myself so I could join him in the river next time he goes.  Now, how many women do you know would enjoy spending their wedding anniversary shopping for waders?  A unique day for a unique couple, I’m thinking!  Before you think we’re completely odd, however, let me explain that we actually celebrated our anniversary last weekend with a trip to the southern Oregon coast and the California redwoods; a very restful, slow-paced time to just appreciate each other.  Today we found it refreshing to spend the day apart (I really like spending time alone once in a while).

Jerry, “I do,” too!  Thank you for 34 years of marriage.