World War II ended in 1945 with the fall of both Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. Harry Truman had become president after the death of President Franklin Roosevelt on April 12th.
In October 1945, my parents celebrated the birth of a baby girl. After surviving the Great Depression and then World War II, they received the huge surprise of becoming parents. They had been married 10 years without children and they were just trying to make a living to get by after the war. My mother suffered many health complications during her pregnancy and was near death during the delivery. She would learn that she would never be able to have another child, it wasn’t God’s plan.
My mother had attended an all-girls school in Mississippi where she was taught the correct fork to use and other things that were proper in society. My life as an only child was hard with expectations set very high. I was expected to conduct myself as an adult. I was taught to remain quiet at all times, especially around other adults. Proverbs 19:20 – Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. I was taught there were severe consequences if the rules were broken. Exodus 14:14 – The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. As a result, I became very introverted, and shy, and I spoke very little until I met the love of my life and my world changed.
Ecclesiates 3:7 – A time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.
Proverbs 25:12 – Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear.
Psalm 141:3 – Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.
