My name is Ruth June nee Rich Lehti. I was born June 10,1921, so I was 8 years old in 1929 when the depression hit. I lived in Miami, Florida where a Building Boom had not occurred. No jobs were available so my folks decided each would return to their own people and...
Stories and Articles
The Immigrant Experience
I remember my father telling us kids at the dinner table about his first day of school in America. He is now deceased, but this one story sticks in my mind. His father was a proud Italian-American who instilled that value in all of his kids: Be proud of who you are...
Geriatric Ward
When an old lady died in the geriatric ward of a small hospital near Dundee, Scotland, it was believed that she had nothing left of value. Later, when the nurses were going through her meager possessions, they found this poem. It’s quality and content so impressed the...
The Tablecloth
The pastor and his wife, newly assigned to their first ministry, to reopen a church in suburban Brooklyn, arrived in early October excited about their opportunities. When they saw their church, it was very run down and needed much work. They set a goal to have...
My Walking Stick
I first saw my walking stick many years ago, but it seems like yesterday. I was approximately 4 years old, and the walking stick belonged to my grandfather (my mother's father, John Kraynak) who lived with us. For the next 11 years, I walked with him and his walking...
Pauline’s Story
Little thing that she was, but my what a woman! Even today though I am over seventy, I’ll always love and be thankful I was her daughter. Even though, she put the fear of God into all five of us. Such a strong will she had, but when that sanctimonious woman came to...
Amos Jacobs
Amos Jacobs was a man of 26 years. He was a comedienne in Detroit for about four years when he decided to go to Chicago. He wanted to get a job in a nightclub (formerly a garage) as a comedienne. The funny thing about this garage was that it was a famous garage known...
The Water-Bearer
A water-bearer in India had two large pots, each hung on each end of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a crack in it, and while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water at the end of the long walk from the...
Untitled
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his...
I Won’t Need My Shoes
"ORANGE COUNTIES BLOODIEST SATURDAY" so read the headline Sunday morning. Five deaths in three hours brought great sorrow to many families. A head-on crash took the lives of three adults. A four year old boy died in Anaheim. Jolene WHITMER died on the street in Santa...
Indiana
Ruthie Rich's feet felt cool and wet as the edge of a wave glided over them at the Pacific Ocean seashore in Los Angeles, CA. She was only five months old so her mother, Emma, held her tightly. Only her feet touched the ripple of the wave. What Fun!!! Later that day,...
A Sense of Wonder
As a child I loved hopping in the car with the folks to run errands or go for a trip. Looking out the window was a sight to behold. There were cafes and restaurants, stores and businesses that we didn’t have in our neighborhood or in our town even! I’d drive the folks...
Birds of a Feather
I recently hung out my sign of a nest-for-rent when someone pecked at my door. There before me was a full-feathered bird with a range of colors. She was obviously new to the neighborhood and she looked very concerned and tired from flying. Not mincing any words, she...
A Remembered Love
The orchestra was playing an old song that I knew as a child in Hawaii. I looked up at the orchestra stand and recognized a new found friend who was leading the musicians on stage. I had been introduced to him, he lived a mile away, and we became fast friends. After...
There’s No Honest People Left in The World …
As a Mom, I’m proud to say I have two wonderful, honest and thoughtful sons and daughter- in- laws. This story brings me back to a small town parade that my youngest grandson was participating in with his school. My son and daughter- in-law were walking along the...
By Any Appraisal
The Adventures of Thomas Tierney
It was a day in autumn that three boys came home from school to find their mother on the floor of their family home at Lake Drive in Chicago. Their mother had passed away earlier that day and it had been quite a shock to them. With three boys … Steven, age fourteen,...
Horseback Riding
Sometimes about 20 of us would go horse back riding. We didn’t have enough horses to go around so we’d double up. I was riding behind, hanging on. We stopped. There was a full moon. It was very peaceful and quiet. We stopped for a moment to take it all in. I saw the...
Basketball and Peaches
It was an exciting time to be alive. I was ten years old and in the fifth grade. The year was 1899. I loved school and I loved learning. Unfortunately, I didn't have the chance of going a full term in school. My mother was ill a great deal of the time. In those days...
Auto Biography of Ruth Lehte
Ruth’s Grandmother, Barbara Fetzer came to America on a ship at age 15, and lived with relatives in Rochester, New York. Franz Otto Wolff had come to America at age 18 to avoid service in the Prussian Army. He did stippling (painted borders around ceilings) and was an...
Miracle of the Ashes
In February 2007, a small boat set out from Waikiki Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii to go past the three-mile limit. On board were James Allmon, married daughter, Amy Allmon Dankel and Jim's two younger children, Shaun and Leilani Allmon. They were on a mission to strew the...