Recipes for Living Heather Lynn Cole

I was born on Apri16, 1983, in Red Oak, Iowa, while we were living in Greenfield. Both my brother Dennis and I were difficult deliveries. His collar bone was broken, and I was born a month prematurely. Mom had an appointment to see a specialist in Red Oak, and they said I needed to be delivered immediately. They weren't even sure she would live until she could be taken by life flight to Omaha so they did an emergency C-section then and there.

My father is Roger, and my mother is Kathy. My grandparents are Donald and Dorothy Cole, of Stanton (about eight miles from Red Oak), and Phyllis Whitney, who lives in Clarinda. We only get to see them when it can be worked into everyone's schedules. Grandpa Cole used to farm and work at REC (Rural Electric Cooperative). Now he is retired. My grandmother worked at the radio station in Shenandoah during World War II.

My grandmother Phyllis works at a funeral home and volunteers at the historical museum. Grandpa Grant Whitney used to be a principal in the Clarinda schools. He died of major strokes in 1993. He was put into the nursing home in Osceola in late '92 or early '93 because of their Alzheimer's unit. There were other such units in the state but this was the one the family preferred because it was fairly close. When we moved to Osceola, it was really handy to go see him. '

My father worked for REC in Greenfield until the boss he truly liked moved to Minnesota; so when they offered my dad a job in Osceola, we came here. I think his title is Director of Administrative Services, but in the last several years he has been involved mostly with internet. Mom was a stay-at-home mom for awhile. She is an LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse) and now has three jobs. She works at Head Start, Subway and helps assemble papers at the newspaper office.

I started to pre-school in Greenfield when I was four. I went on into kindergarten and what I remember best about that teacher was that she didn't seem to enjoy children. She retired when she was 70 and I was in 4th grade, so she was pretty old when she taught us. Dennis had her, too.

In October of the year I was in 5th grade, we moved to Osceola. It was easier for me to move than it was for Dennis. He was in 8th grade and had to switch classes, so he didn't get to know kids as well. My favorite studies are language/arts and social studies.

In Greenfield I had a really good friend, Lacey Ernst. I still talk to her all the time. Athena Lieser became my friend in Clarke Community School in 5th grade until 6th or 7th. I had lots of friends in 6th grade-Crystal Kellogg, Shawna Andreies and Amanda McNeilley. Crystal is still my friend but Shawna and Amanda have moved away. One time we had a party at my house and Amanda spilled some ice cream on the floor. Shawna thought she did it on purpose, so she started throwing ice cream and my mom put a stop to it.

Dennis and I are pretty close. We do have our skirmishes but we are best friends. We tell each other everything, but we have a code of silence about what we tell about other people, so nobody gets into trouble.

The East Elementary school was being built when we moved here, and we had classes in the basement of the United Methodist Church. It was kind of weird because I had been accustomed to a school building and couldn't understand when my parents said our school would be in the church. We were there until I finished 5th grade; and then we went to the nice new school, which was bigger and better than our old tiny one. My favorite part was the computer lab. In my old school you were lucky if your teacher had one computer, but in my new school we had a whole room full of them. We used them regularly and on special occasions if we were good. I liked drawing and painting on them, even though I didn’t do it well.

When I went into 7th grade, we were in a different building. The junior high and high school are in the same building, and they keep us separated most of the time. We have certain hallways that we go down, depending on whether we are junior high or high school. They don’t say anything if we use the wrong one, they just tell us to use a different one the next time. We can take some high school classes in the 8th grade; but sometimes there are rough older kids in them. I suppose I made more friends in 7th grade because I was in more classes.

I especially like Mr. Twombly, Mr. Lampe, Mr. May, and Mr. Tokheim. The first two teach band, and I have played the trombone since 5th grade. I am in marching band, concert band, pep band and jazz band.

Mr. May teaches speech and drama. This year we did “A Chorus Line,” and I had a part in it. Mr. Tokheim teaches Spanish, which I will take it for my third year next fall. In Spanish 3 there might be an opportunity to take a trip to either Mexico or Costa Rica. Mr. Tokheim would like to take the class to Spain, but I don’t know whether or not he will. It might be too expensive for me to do that.

I haven’t decided for sure what I want to do with my life. I think it will be between the ministry, history or law. I am pretty active in the Osceola United Methodist Church. I was confirmed in May, 1997, so I went through that course. I attend Sunday school and UMYF (United Methodist Youth Fellowship). Elaine Schipper and Mark and Vicky Binning are our Sunday school teachers. Sandra Smith leads our UMYF. I have also been in Expressions, which is a liturgical dance group led by Anne Murr. I may not have time to do that next year.

In my UMYF we are getting ready to build a float for the 4th of July parade. We served a breakfast after the Easter Sunrise Service and will serve doughnuts and coffee between the 9:00 service and Bible School every Sunday this month. These are fund-raisers for equipment for the junior high youth recreation.

I don’t have a lot of time to think about life; but when I do, I often think that if people from the 1800’s would look at our world now, they would be upset about pollution and crime. I don’t really feel good about what is happening because of all the pollution causing the ozone layer to break down. People my age are probably angrier than some people in past generations.

I am concerned about drugs and other activity like that. I don’t see that my generation is trying to make themselves better, so how can they make the world better? I think it is up to us. Kids are looking to the adults as an example, but lots of adults aren’t good examples; so they just keep going along, and nothing is going to change. The kids see the bad examples and that is the way they behave, then their children will follow that example until they realize they are wrong. It would be a miracle but it could happen.

This summer is pretty busy. I have drivers’ Ed two hours every morning. That is more than just driving. Every week we have chapters to read, and then on Fridays we take a test. Am I looking forward to driving? Yes and no. The other day Lacey was in class in Greenfield and the driver ran over a cat, so that was pretty sad.

One afternoon a week I help two band buddies in elementary. I have already started working with one and will begin with the other next week, when he gets back from church camp. I might go to church camp next year when I get drivers’ Ed over with.

I have a kitten, Jazz, that is probably eight months old. Our other cat died in January so we got this one from the Animal Rescue League. There are still scars where the family who had him mistreated him. I am also taking care of a bird that I found after a storm. I think he is a blue jay, and I have named him Einstein because he has two feathers that stick out, one on each side of his head. He is in a box in the house until he is well enough to turn loose.

One thing that interests me is writing poetry. I started writing in 4th grade. When I was in 6th grade, I wrote one for my mom. She read it for her Suzannah Circle, and they liked it so I thought, well, why not, maybe I could write some more. So I have been writing and sending some to contests. The one I wrote for my mom was the first one I got published, and there have been seven more-from the National Library of Poetry and from Amherst Society. I have gotten Editor's Choice for two of them. I have more that I have started and they are just laying there- like letters I start and then decide, "I'll finish it tomorrow" and pretty soon they're outdated. These are some of my favorites:

A TASTE OF PARADISE
Shimmering gates of a golden ore,
Standing still for evermore,
Feasting on the food of life,
Protecting His children from evil and strife,
Flowing gowns of innocent white,
Living, loving, the Lord of Light,
Staring into the most kindred eyes, A
world above the sapphire skies,
From a world of no hope and hate,
To a place where my King awaits,
And in His house soon will I be,
A paradise, I will be free.

ANGER

A fire surging through my heart, But
how did all this fury start? A fire
burning intensely hot,
A war always being fought, Tangled
up inside of me,
How can I ever be truly free? Now
thoughtlessness and cruelty done,
God the Father and Holy Son, Cure
this fiery soul in me,
Douse the flames and let me be,
Help me repent and make me free,
In your holy grace I be.

THE WORLD TURNING, NEVER STOPPING, ALWAYS MOVING
INTO THE TREACHEROUS SEA OF DARKNESS,
MOONLIGHT SWEEPS DOWN OFF ITS PERCH AND THROUGH
THE TREES AS IF IT WERE A BIRD SOARING DOWN FOR THE KILL,
CREATURES HOWL IN PAIN AND CRY OUT IN VICTORY.
A RUSH OF LEAVES, A SNAPPING TWIG, THE SOUND
OF PREDATORS STALKING THEIR PREY.
EVIL EYES PEER OUT FROM BEHIND BUSHES AND TREES,
EYES MEANT TO KILL, TO HAVE NO MERCY.
THIS IS LIFE AND DEATH.
ANIMALS SCURRYING IN EVERY DIRECTION, THE HUNTER AND,
THE HUNTED.
SHADOWS CAST BY OVERBEARING TREES HID HOMES OF
TINY RODENTS.
HOURS PASS OF WAITING AND WATCHING.
A SLEEPY SUN OPENS ITS WEARY EYES AND SHINES ON
THE VAST FOREST.
THE NIGHT HAS PASSED.

LORD: PLEASE BE
MINE,
YOU WHO ARE BLESSED AND KIND,
PLEASE LOVE ME TODAY,
AND FOREVER I'LL PRAY
TO YOU TO HELP THOSE WHO'VE WANDERED ASTRAY,
PLEASE HELP THOSE IN NEED,
TO HAVE ALL HEARTS FREED,
FROM THE BURDEN OF SIN, OF
THE FEAR DEEP WITHIN,
TOGETHER WHAT WE COULD GIVE,
SO THAT OTHERS MIGHT LIVE!
LET'S HELP EACH OTHER IN EVERY WAY,
SO THAT WE CAN BE WITH YOU EVERY DAY!