Bunkie

By Violet Brooke

I wrote the book about my childhood; so that others may learn that it is not what you have but what you do with what is given in life to you and that God will bless you only if you ask.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Apr 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504904308

Violet Brooke

Why I wrote the book Bunkie: My husband was sick and in the hospital when I thought about writing a book on my childhood. We lived in a different world from what children live in now, so I thought I would tell about my world when I was little, so this is how Bunkie got started. I was born at home, the fifth girl of eight. We lived in a poor house with no running water, no electricity, no phones, no books, no bathroom, no nothing that we are used to now. We were poor, but so was everyone else, we thought, so it didn’t matter at all. We never went to a doctor, a dentist, or church, but we all had to go to school and work in the fields at home. Parents had children to work the farm when l came along, and that is what you had to do—no ifs and ands about it either; that’s how it was. So I learned early in life to make your own fun and be happy no matter what came along. I learned everything I could learn. I made it fun. It became a game to be better than anyone around me, so this was important to me. It made me strong, and I always stood up for what was right. I learned later in life that life is not about me or things of this world, but life is a journey through this world into the next world of wonderful things that God has in store for us in heaven. So I made it my goal to help others that are in need, so it has become a blessing to me to be able to do this in God’s name, not mine.

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© 2015 Violet Brooke. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 04/17/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-0431-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-0432-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-0430-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015904949

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

DEDICATION

I would like to dedicate this book to my mom and dad because they were always there for us. They gave to us in their own way, which was not easy for them at all. We survived and had a good life.

Mama was a kind and hard working woman. She didn’t know how to show love because there was no one to show her.

Daddy always watched out for us in his own way. He always allowed me to do anything I wanted, but he shared in nothing I did.

I have a wonderful husband of fifty-five years, who has devoted his whole life to me, our three girls, and their families. No one could ever be so kind, loving, and caring as his is to all of us. God has blessed us.

I want to thank God, my husband John, my three daughters: Susan, Bonny, and Melinda, for making my life so special.

My granddaughter, Bobby Lynn Graves, helped me put this book together and I thank her for all of her help.

This is the true story of my life…

Hi. My name is Bunkie. I was born on a farm in 1935, to poor, but strict parents. We were all born at home with the help of Dr. Snead. I am sure that mother didn’t have an easy time of it. The old colored woman from back in the woods came to wash clothes and cook for us. I was the fifth child. My older sisters were grown when I first knew them. I forgot to tell you that we were all girls, eight of us.

When I was five years old, I came to know who I was. Walter Duzla gave me my name. I remember him coming in his truck to help us on the farm. During the depression, Mom and Dad lost everything. They lost the car, the truck, and everything else they had. Walter would come to carry calves, pigs, potatoes, and whatever else could be taken to market. He was a nice man. The Tokarz family lived nearby and we were not allowed to have anything to do with them. I thought they were nice people, although I couldn’t understand them. They were Polish. We lived way back in the woods, a mile and a half away from the main road. Other than my grandmother, two uncles, the Tokarz family, and Walter Duzla, I never saw anyone else.

We had pigs, chickens, cows, horses, cats, and an old dog. There was always a lot to do on the farm. The hens had to be fed and watered. The eggs would be gathered up and their nests would be cleaned. The horses had to be watered and fed. The cows milked and the stable cleaned. The wood had to be chopped and brought in. The corn shucked for the hens and horses; the shucks put in for the cows. Hay was placed in the mangers for the