A voice in the wilderness: Walking

News | December 22, 2018

My mother died during surgery when I was five years old, the middle child. My siblings were 3 and 8 years old. An aunt and an uncle mostly raised me. We shifted around a lot from one house to another.

Life was not easy during those younger years, but I remember learning how to cook from my aunt. Her pies were luscious, and I’m told mine are, too (I still find joy in a nice piece of pie, sometimes for breakfast).

I attended Sunday school regularly at a non-denominational church. I remember walking a mile and a half to and from church. In fact, we walked a lot to get anywhere in those days. This was wilderness, to be sure.

Nowadays, most of us rely on automobiles for transportation. But when walking was the only option, one can only imagine the vulnerability and the time it took to get to a destination. Whether it was for Sunday school or a dance, during the night or in the daytime, we walked everywhere. My sister and I had faith and hope that we would arrive safely. We hid in the ditch if we saw headlights, hoping they didn’t see us. God was surely watching over us as we walked many a mile.

The world is so unsettled today. One must have faith, and money doesn’t buy it. You make do with what you have, and you work hard. Some days you wonder what the next hour will bring. Time will tell. God will take care of us.

Carma Schwarz will be 93 years old in February. She is the mother of eight – five girls and three boys. She lives in rural Davenport.

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