Home before Dark

By Kim Vogler

Kim's telling of her life's journey is an inspiring yet humorous account of how God's grace has brought her through adversity and the every-day challenges common to life, as well as her own tenacious ability to face those challenges. You will at times find tears welling from both the sad and joyous experience with which we can all identify,

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book Vine Press
• Release date: Nov 26, 2020
• ISBN: 9781953699350

Kim Vogler

"As far back as I can remember, I have always had a passion for writing! Early on, it was expressed in simple poems that I wrote for every important occasion! This came to me naturally, as my Papa also was known for creating meaningful rhymes that would convey his most heartfelt emotions, not only to our mother, but also to my sister and me. As I grew into what would become my lifetime profession, my journalistic skills were put to use in promoting all types of businesses and the special qualities that set them apart from their competition. Much of my professional experience was in meeting the demands that arose from the benefits we offered through our advertising agency. However, it was only recently that I realized that the very things I truly wanted to share with others were yet to be brought out of my past and into the future! It is with great enthusiasm that I am finally able to share some of the most important experiences - and yes, challenges - that helped form the tapestry of my life. My hope and my prayer is that you will take heart from the stories that also fit into your past experiences, and that they will point you toward the same conclusion that I came to: from every experience, happy or sad, there are incredible lessons to be learned!"

Book preview

Endorsements

HOME BEFORE DARK is about real life stories. Kim’s humorous writing style will rock you! You will be sure to laugh, sigh, smile, gasp and possibly cry as she engages you with her wit, humor and pearls of wisdom. And she will keep you coming back for more! One of my favorites is: DOES GOD HAVE AN INTEREST IN FOOTBALL? Referring to our beloved Seahawks and 12’s. An uplifting read for anyone!

Pam Cloer, Port Orchard, WA

Kim is a gifted lady and has such as wonderful touch with words. She uses them in HOME BEFORE DARK to share parts of her life as though she is writing a song about it. A beautiful melody…and so easy to relate to! I was truly captivated by the title and its content. I am looking forward to another joyful experience from Kim. I want more of her melodies!

Nan Suter, Sequim, WA.

Kim is a gifted story teller, a believer who lives out her faith boldly, always sharing the good news! Her stories are humorous, encouraging and at times sad. GOING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS is a shining example of how through her faithtfulness, God turned an unlikely friendship into a glorious homecoming!

Teri Goodwin, Port Orchard, WA.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter One: Christmas 1945

Chapter Two: The 50-Foot Rug

Chapter Three: A Love Story

Chapter Four: The Children’s Hour

Chapter Five: Going Home for Christmas

Chapter Six: The Great American Dream Wagon Train Adventure

Chapter Seven: A Little Bit of Luck…

Chapter Eight: Does God Have an Interest in Football?

Chapter Nine: When Opportunity Knocks

Chapter Ten: Our Final Fire

Chapter Eleven: An Eye for an Eye

Chapter Twelve: Sisters Always

Acknowledgements

My heartfelt thanks go out to my very special friends who were willing to review the first, complete manuscript, and were honest enough to tell me what their true opinions were about my life story:

Pam Cloer, Teri Goodwin, Nan Suter, Bernie Bronov, Peggy Odegaard and my grand daughter Gracie.

Special thanks go to my good friend and fellow author, Al Dager, who painstakingly edited my final manuscript and helped me though the process of publishing my first book!

And last, but not least, to Heiko, the love of my life who designed the beautiful cover of this first edition and was my greatest source of support and encouragement as I made my way through this amazing journey!

I also thank my parents, grandparents, and especially my big sister for the important roles that they all occupied in my life’s journey. Without all of them and their love and support, these many stories would not have had so many happy endings! I look forward to sharing more of my experiences as the second edition of HOME BEFORE DARK will be available in the coming year!

I welcome your comments and thoughts and promise to respond to all of the above! You can connect by emailing me at: [e-mail].

Introduction

By now it’s evident that as a child growing up in Iowa during the late 30s and 40s there were certain directives that were a part of my daily life. From morning until bedtime my parents, older sister, grandparents, and teachers instructed me in ways that would contribute to my growth and development physically, emotionally and spiritually. From simple habits like brushing my teeth, eating my vegetables, washing my hands and putting on clean underwear to doing my homework, practicing the piano at least one full hour each day, to memorizing my Bible verses for my daily Confirmation Class. By responding to all of the above, other characteristics became a fixed part of my personality such as self-discipline, a sense of responsibility toward others, as well as a healthy respect toward everyone in my world who were figures of authority, as they molded me into the person that I would become.

One of my earliest memories was the parting command from my Mother, without fail, as my sister and I would dash out after dinner to enjoy what was left of the day depending on the time of the year. As spring emerged from winter, and days grew longer, the command to be home before dark simply meant that whenever darkness descended upon us we knew that we must be back home in the warmth and safety of our family nest. And so like a little lamb being herded into the fold, my big sister was my shepherdess in charge. To me, being home before dark meant comfort, safety, and protection from whatever challenges, big or small, real or imagined, I might have been threatened by.

As I grew older, home was more a state of mind, or sometimes it was a person or any place of refuge that gave me relief from the storms that sometimes blew around me. As a small child, the physical surroundings of home and hearth, my own bed, and the protection that came with having parents and a big sister who always took my hand making certain that I was gently led, this first place that I called home was where I always wanted to be after dark.

Just as our perception of home and a safe place changes as we grow up, so does the darkness that descends upon us. When we are small we know that with the dawn the darkness goes away. If we are afraid of the dark we take comfort that it lasts only a little while before it’s gone. And if you don’t have to face it alone, then it’s not so bad.

When I was afraid of the dark as a little child I was never alone. I had parents who cared for me and a big sister who was always there just an arms’ length away to calm any fears that I might have—to tell me that everything would be okay, and to chase away the bad dreams that sometimes invaded my mind.

Life is an ongoing series of the present day endings followed by some form of darkness. In good times darkness comes with comfort, restoration and refreshing rest to prepare us for a new day. In other times darkness comes with despair. And sometimes where we go after dark is so dreadful, lonely, and seemingly endless that we wonder if there ever will be a new dawn.

In times of stress and sometimes great depression Papa used to say to me. Honey, things never look so bad in the morning. Do you remember the little poem that I used to recite to you?

And then he would quote: I had the blues ’cause I had no shoes, until I met a man on the street who had no feet. Trite as that sounds, there is wisdom in those words.

Because of all of the life experiences that I recall in my 70-plus years, the one thing that I know with absolute certainty is this: The journeys that we take to wherever our home