Pet

What was the name of your favorite pet? Why was it your favorite?

Mitzy was my favorite pet. Our parents (especially Dad) didn't want our pets in the house, but Mitzy got by disobeying the house rules much better than the four Kendall kids did! Perhaps her disobedience was one of the reasons why we liked her so well.

She had several litters of kittens, so that we learned from her some of the basic facts of life. One of her personality traits was strong perseverance. If she was lucky enough to get into the house and to find the closet door in our patents bedroom open at delivery time, she would joyfully give birth to at least four kittens right there under Dad and Mom's clothes! And when we would dutifully move that tiny quartet to an equally nice nest outdoors, she would stubbornly return her family - one at a time and by the neck-to that favorite closet upstairs. I think her middle name was "Never Give Up"!

Favorite Meal

What was your favorite meal when you were a child? What made it your favorite?

Homemade ice cream was my really favorite meal. In many cases, my parents brought in snow right after it had fallen, then made delicious ice cream in our simple way. It was fun to stand over the register and feel the warmth from the furnace while we ate our snowy ice cream.

In summer our parents made ice cream in a regular ice cream maker. In either case, the product was "a bit of heaven on earth."

Helping to bring in the snow, or in summer helping to grind the ice, made this food preparation a family affair. Perhaps this was one of the reasons why home-made ice cream was a favorite meal. But letting that delightful delicacy melt slowly in our mouths lengthened the time of our delight. Perhaps this also explains our preference.

Scent or Sound

What scent or sound immediately takes you back to childhood? Describe the feeling it evokes.

The sound of chugging of a passing freight train brings back childhood memories. Both on Armore and on Woodward Avenue, we lived near the tracks. Noisy trains were a part of our daily lives.

I remember some of the experiments we made on those tracks. For instance, we carefully placed straight pins on the tracks in the form of a cross, hoping that those heavy wheels would seal them together.

Trains meant more at vacation time when we would take the D.T and I (Detroit, Toledo & Ironton) to Bainbridge, Ohio, to visit Grandpa Bond and Aunt Clara, their son Harold and their dog Ring. Then Grandpa would a few days later drive us to Cynthiana, where we could visit Grandma Kendall and Aunt Frances.

But I still don't like to wait long minutes at railroad crossings when freight trains go chugging by - despite pleasant childhood memories!

Getting To School

How far did you have to travel to attend elementary, junior high, and high school, and how did you get there?

I went to Jackson School for first and second grades. The school was less than a half mile from our home on Ardmore. I walked either through the fields or on the railroad track a part of the way. That trip was fun. Gathering wild flowers or balancing on rails or walking with friends made those trips special.

When we moved to Woodward Avenue, I still could take a part of my trip to school through a field or on the railroad tracks, but we were only about 3 blocks from the school.

Roosevelt High (including both junior and senior high) was only 2 blocks farther! Our parents never owned a car. So we weren't even tempted to want a car ride to school.

Valentine

Describe a memorable Valentine you received.

Of course, we exchanged valentines all through grade school. I was proud of the number of valentines I received each year. Valentines from Paul Nock meant the most to me, because he was my first boyfriend. We were in our early teens. Paul was a fellow Christian and was generous with his gifts. I wonder how much delicious chocolate I enjoyed because of Paul's expressions of love! We never held hands, nor hugged, nor kissed each other. We were simply good friends.

Perhaps the best "valentine" from Paul was the small note he put on his heart when he learned that "unus" meant one. His Latin teacher gave him a romantic idea (without knowing it!) He explained to me that I was unus=Number One - First on his heart. I think that was the nearest moment to romance I had during my teen years!

First Bible

Who gave you your first Bible and how old were you when you received it? How did it influence your life?

I really don't remember when I received my first Bible. It has been an integral part of my life as far back as I can remember. My parents both took family devotions quite seriously and helped us develop a love for the Word of God.

I recall the shock I received when I discovered the contempt which some of my junior and senior high school teachers showed toward God's Word. My chemistry teacher made fun of me in front of the whole class, simply because I believed in the Biblical account of creation. My 8th grade English teacher caught me reading my Bible during a free reading period and told me I had to bring another type of book for that weekly assignment. I wonder what she would have said if I had brought a volume of Wesley's Works!

Becoming A Christian

When did you become a Christian? How did your life change?

I was 5 years old. I had a brand new baby sister, Esther Frances. I was jealous of her and of my popular sister Lois Faith, who was 16 months younger than I. My anger and jealousy found expression in disobedience and rebellion. I walked through Mr. Brown's carefully trimmed hedge, mistreated Lois, and was disobedient to the lady who was caring for mother and the new baby. (Mrs. Ganther) But the Lord convicted me, and I finally shared my situation with Mother. I confessed my sins to her, and she wisely recognized that I had reached the age of accountability. She instructed me to kneel by her bedside and ask God's forgiveness. And there, next to Mother and little Esther at her side, I was born again. The newborn was no longer a threat, because my own birth in Christ changed my outlook. God's love and peace erased the ugly resentments and anger. I was a child of God!