A Sense of Belonging

By Frances Borell

I am watching the news on TV. A young boy is standing before a judge. He had shot a fellow student due to bullying. I am devastated. How could this be? Why did it happen? What took place in this child's life to create this disastrous outcome?

I knew that from the day I was born I had a sense of belonging, to my family, my friends, my school, my church, and my small village. This sense of belonging brought me through the good times and the most difficult situations in my life.

Growing up during the Great Depression we needed each other. Everyone needed to give or to receive help of one kind or another. The whole town came when we had an uncontrolled fire. They put not only their time but also their lives on the line beating back the flames. This is only one of my childhood remembrances. Each person had a role to play. Each little chore, no matter how big or how small was helpful to the family and also gave you a sense of purpose, a sense of responsibility, a sense of being . . . a sense of belonging.

These stories are a mixture of funny, sad, and sometimes silly things that happened from my birth in 1925 up to the time I was ready to leave school and begin nurse's training.

I hope that by reading my life story you may create ways to develop a sense of belonging for yourself, for your own children, and for your family. This life we have is a miracle and a sense of belonging is necessary for us from the day we are born until we take our last breath.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Frances Borell
• Release date: Sep 10, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370956012

Frances Borell

Frances B. BorellWas born February 19, 1925. She has just written her first book, A Sense of Belonging. It is a memoir of how growing up on a farm with lots of responsibility and love helped her cope through the happy times and the difficult times in her life.She worked as a nurse for many years and when she retired a whole new life opened up for her. She volunteered with many organizations. She was on the board for the Council for the Aging. She was the producer of Visions for Today for many years. Creating many helpful programs for the older adults on the local cable channel. Through this she also became Mrs. Claus at Christmas time and also developed and was the moderator for the children's show the Reading Corner. She made many long lasting friendships there. She also was involved with Skylight Players; a group that took many plays to adult living facilities. Her writing began with her love of golf. She decided that they needed entertainment at their end of the season banquet and so she would write and direct the skits for many years.She took care of her husband when he developed long term Alzheimer’s until his death in 1996.She has a daughter and son, four grandchildren, and five great grandchildren.She still is a barefoot girl of 91 and can still dig up plants and transplant them to better locations.For more information on her early life - read her first book - A Sense of Belonging at Smashwords.com.

Book preview

A Sense of Belonging

By Frances B. Borell

Edited by Marcia A. Borell

Published by Frances B. Borell at Smashwords

Copyright 2016 Frances B. Borell

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Table Of Contents

Introduction -- Why I wrote this book.

A Newborn -- A Miraculous New Beginning

My Birth -- My Home -- My Stories

First Day -- Coming Home

Things Frances Said and Did Between the Ages of 6 and 7

My Family and Farming

The Responsibility of Chores

Mother and Father

Sisters and Brothers

Grandparents

Pets and Farm Animals -- An integral part of this loving family

Living Through the Great Depression - Dramatic Local Events

Birth

Death

The Medicine Show

The Places That United and Supported My Sense of Belonging

Church

School

General Store

PostScript

Thank you from Frances B. Borell

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Introduction

Let me begin by telling you a little about my self. I am a 91-year-old great grandmother who has lived in the beautiful Midwest of these United States for all my life. My Journey began in the quiet hamlets and fields of northern Indiana and has taken me to the lakes and forests of Wisconsin. My life has taken me far and wide and I have been fortunate throughout my many years to have many wonderful people in my life that gave me a sense of belonging.

But it was one of the tragedies of this life that made me want to write down my thoughts and remembrances.

One evening while having nothing better to do I switched on the news and watched a very poignant scene involving a little boy of about seven years old standing alone before a judge in a courtroom. Why? Because the boy had shot his fellow classmate whom he said was harassing and bullying him until he could endure it no longer.

There he stood, alone, and so small without parents or friends to support him in any way. My eyes welled up with tears as I quickly felt that somehow this should never have happened! Why had this boy's life taken such a horrible direction and where was the family that should have made him feel that he belonged? Why wasn't his life more like mine?

This little boy should have been playing ball with his Dad or studying and learning about the wonderful world around him. The picture of this lone child in a courtroom has never left my mind.

As I contemplated his life and the one I lived; I began to realize how much my family, neighbors, friends, and community enriched me with a feeling of belonging. Yes, this was the sole single factor that was missing in this young boy's life that led to the boy's horrible circumstances.

It was early the next morning while sitting quietly on my patio that I began to think about how my life was different and