Ben's Dreams

I was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia in the 1930's, being the eighth child of a family of ten children. At the early age of twelve, I loved to baby sit with children. Most of my life has been spent in West Virginia, where I married and raised four sons, six foster children and baby sat for close to a hundred children. At the time our youngest son started to school, I started to college in my early 40's, where I received an Associates Degree in Early Childhood Development. While in college, I did some writing for young children. At the age of sixty-seven, I wrote my autobiography and published it, with the help of my husband. In 2009, I was published in Reminisce Magazine.

One of my dreams was to write a children's book that taught how to be a success by working hard and trusting in the Lord.

As I have visited all fifty states in my lifetime, it took a lot of humor to get through the rough times and it made me a stronger person. Sharing these experiences would mean a lot. For example, we were caught in a rainstorm in the middle of the desert near Elko, Nevada. Upon reaching Elko, not a motel room was to be had anywhere. The good part of the story was the appearance of a huge double rainbow. It was like none we had ever seen.

My husband and I have been married for almost fifty-four years and have four sons, as mentioned earlier, two grandsons and one granddaughter. My son, Roger, and I have painted two 24" by 36" seascapes for two of my sons and one for Roger of a mountain waterfall, which hangs in his living room. Many of my friends have asked me why I didn't start painting and writing long ago, but I just smile and say, "I didn't have the time or experience until I was well over fifty.