Preface: When my dad, Galen (Fritz), my Aunt Garnett, and my Uncle Art were in their eighties they wrote stories about growing up in the 1920s, ’30s, and World War II. The three of them, and their youngest sister Jeanne, were all born on a farm in Richland Township of Story County, Iowa between 1916 and 1927. They are all deceased. Their stories …
The Walking Cast
Preface: My father saw no reason my broken ankle should allow me to quit working around the farm. Things changed when the doctor had to replace my cast. The Walking Cast I played football in Junior High and High School. I played in eight grade, my freshman year, my junior and senior year. My senior year was the only year …
The Goose Glide
Preface: Watching wildlife helps us understand how we should behave. Take the time to watch the geese and learn from them. The Goose Glide The sun was bright in the mile high blue sky. Its rays warmed my back as I walked. The wind was gentle and the morning was fresh. I inhaled the clean crisp smell of fall air. …
Chapter 00 — Introduction to Spiritual Stories Library
These stories are the spiritual experiences that have occurred in my life. When I began listing the topics, the number of experiences was much greater than I expected. I spent my working career as an engineering technician performing design and test work on large farm equipment. I wrote many technical reports. The format for that work was reporting information …
Chapter 01– My Baptism
Preface: I was almost a year old and had not been baptized. My father had ignored his mother’s plea for a baptism. My grandmother was an assertive woman undertook an intervention. This is the story that was told to me by my father’s sisters. My Baptism My baptism was not the traditional baptism where the family gathers in church a few …
Chapter 02–Sunday School Attendance
Preface: Sometimes I may not have been in Sunday School for all the right reasons, but I was there. I turned out ok. This is my story. Sunday School Attendance My younger brother and I attended Sunday School like most kids in our area. We didn’t go every Sunday depending upon work on the farm or visits to aunts and …
Chapter 03–My Catechism Class
Preface: We weren’t your normal catechism class of well behaved kids. We often lived in that gray area. This is our story as I remember it. My Catechism Class As our class formed in September, the minister and his wife announced their retirement at the end of the school year. Our class, already known for less than perfect behavior, saw that …
Chapter 04–Maxine Gets Me To Church
Preface: I was intensely focused on raising my grade point above a 3.0 during the last quarter of technical school at Iowa State University. Our wedding would be a few days after graduation and Maxine wanted to start going to church on a regular basis. Worship turned out to be a lot more than my physical presence in the pew. …
Chapter 05–The Invitation
Preface: A simple invitation to attend church nurtured my family for more that 30 years. This is that story. The Invitation A simple invitation sustained our family for more than 30 years. In 1974 we moved into our first house in Hudson, Iowa during a very hot 4th of July holiday. The invitation came shortly after we arrived in Hudson, Iowa. …
Chapter 06–The Holy Spirit Rediscovered
Preface: In the summer of 1975 I was sitting on the front porch when two friends came to talk to me about running for political office. After they left, I sat there I pondered their request, and a recent chain of events, and the Holy Spirit was rediscovered that day. The Holy Spirit, Rediscovered On an ordinary day, on the …