This Week's Story
click here to play audioAfter World War II many people in the United States lived with peace, family, church, more education, new inventions, and home ownership, which included "things."
This Week’s Story relives American history and the Bible through brief inspiring stories presented on mp3 audio recordings and text for reading.
Memories from the Twentieth Century, part one
“Mrs. Steiner, how old are you?”
Addison, my student in This Week’s Story, is curious. I smile at her, but give her no answer. She is a sixth grader with many life experiences in this twenty-first century. Many are different from what I experienced in the twentieth century. Times are mightily changing. How do we communicate in our society of change and challenge?
When I was seven years old, I was sleeping in a bed with Nonnie, my grandmother, in a fifth-floor apartment in Chicago on a cold winter night. I heard water gurgling in our bedroom radiators. Radiators helped heat rooms. Nonnie brought a heated brick wrapped in cloths. She laid it at my feet under our sheet and blankets.
The next day Mother took me walking down the sidewalks of Michigan Avenue. It was my favorite street in Chicago. “Mom, are you cold?”
“Not especially. I am wearing warm gloves, a long wool coat, and galoshes over my shoes. My long scarf protects my neck and head from the piercing wind off Lake Michigan. My feet are not wet from the snow. Barbara, we’re having a cold adventure!”
“Yep! The hairs in my nose feel like icicles poking my skin. When snow in the air goes into my nostrils, the snow freezes. What a weird sensation!”
“Let’s catch a bus to the Loop to visit your Aunt Clara. We can visit Marshall Field’s Department Store. Since it is Christmas season, the store has wonderful window displays! Some have mannequins ice skating, and making fancy dance moves on fake ice.”
“Oh-h-h, I love watching ice skating. When can we go ice skating? Could I use my new ice skates?”
“Maybe, next week end.”
Soon Mom and I were walking into Aunt Clara’s office. I heard a patient say, “Dr. Teich, I am probably vain to wear high heels. They wreck my back!”
“It is not wise, Julia, especially when you have to wear galoshes in the snow. You could trip easily.”
Aunt Clara smiled at her patient. I loved how my aunt was respected and liked by her patients. They were all special to her. She made free home calls to some she had known for many years, back to when she taught Christian girls’ clubs.
“Barbara Jeanne, I am going to make a call on Mrs. Fuentes. One of the children in her family was bitten last week by a rat. The child was sleeping in his bed.
“You can come with me, if your mom agrees. Do you agree, Mary Jane?”
“She loves being with you, and she had a wonderful piano lesson with Mrs. Peterson this morning.”
“Barbara Jeanne, I have a treat. I made a sack lunch for us before I left home. We are going to have liverwurst sandwiches with tomato slices, lettuce, and mayonnaise. Nonnie made peanut butter cookies. We will buy juice drinks.”
“Aunt Clara, that sounds like one of our summer picnic lunches.”
“Every season can have adventure.”
Today our team is Todd Warren, Gwen Crawford, Carlos Gamez, and Barbara Steiner.
In future weeks join us at thisweeksstory.com.
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