The Early Years - A Memoir

Rachel's story is a true one of young love, joys and triumphs experienced, but also is about difficulties of being and staying together, as they are beset by hardships, disappointments, and struggles toward making a good life for themselves.

Rachel's story begins in her early teens while growing up in southern Kentucky, and of being the oldest child of eleven of very strict parents. She tells of the rigours involved during post-Great Depression years, through WWII and of her high school years. As a senior in high school with a diploma a certainty, along with a lucrative scholarship promised, she begins to see that her dreams of becoming a teacher might really happen.

As reality hits, she wonders if she really wants this. It means moving away from Denton, her lifetime home, and leaving all the people involved in her life. She has recently met a special person, a returning WWII navy veteran Brad, who has returned home to find his life in an uproar, his children gone, and that his wife has deserted him. As he is attempting to pick up the pieces, he meets Rachel.

Rachel's and Brad's life story is one of joys beset by poverty, disappointments, and struggles. From the beginning, they have kept their eyes focused on the light at the end of the tunnel that promises a life of joy, excitement, and plenty. Through it all, their hard work and their love for each other is fortified by their faith in God, a common thread that binds it all together.