Work in Progress:

Smiles and Tears of Yesteryears; A Memoir Told in Vignettes:

My memoir relives my family upbringing in America’s heartland from mid-1940 to adulthood, and continues with marriage and children through the 1970s, tracking anecdotal events, which led to achieving and living the American dream. It comprises ninety-eight (98) vignettes, each narrated within a 500-800 word frame and divided among six (6) themes:

A.  Childhood Home opens with a quick tour of our family home, a wonderful place for reflection, and relives memorable moments of childhood, like: a forbidden hideout; a dark attic bedroom; an unique bugle dinner call;

B.  Games Children Play occurs mostly outside the home in the 1950’s and reveals our unmatched, challenging games, providing stimulating entertainment without parental influence or interference.  Unique games, with unimaginative names, like Alley Ball, Newspaper Kick, and Awning Ball, developed skills in competitive play and dispute resolution, molding discipline and character;

C.  Marital Bliss begins with a review of the societal norms of the time, much different than today, and records a young couple’s life journey, building our lives together, raising our children, and meeting the challenges of the 1960’s and 1970’s;

D.  Milestones narrates events that had a significant impact in my life, as reaching an age, facing a challenge or accomplishing a feat, each leaving an indelible mark on my memory; like my first prom date; college experience; court proceeding;

E  Potpourri recalls mostly unrelated and humorous events, which embellish the manuscript with stories outside the previous themes, like: an unfunny, hilarious joke; corporeal punishment in school; a cherry pie tradition on Washington’s Birthday, and

F. Endings reflect on the passing of a generation with the eulogies of my parents, a fitting end to an era, which will never be duplicated.

Overall, each piece stands alone, but mosaically reveals the nature of the time, and the values, challenges, and successes of the narrator’s personal and family living, loosely following a time line.  Everyone harbors memories, which embody unique anecdotes of events, successes and failures that impacted their lives. They mold a person’s character, values and wisdom. As a rule, people enjoy these stories not only for knowledge and entertainment, but also to compare and contrast them with their own experiences.