Dorothea at one of her   book signings

The  Unexpected There I was lying helpless in that hospital bed, contemplating the limitations of my recent stroke.  I was unable to even move my little finger on my left hand.  It was then I realized how wonderfully I had been blessed by still being able to think clearly, to see and to hear.  I found myself giving thanks every day that I was still alive.

That hospital bed also left me time to think about my past.  I had to admit that the Lord had been there many times in the past to help me and care for me.  When my mother passed away, I was only four years old, but arrangements were made for me to have a fine, loving home with my aunt and uncle and their two sons. 

My aunt told me countless stories of her early years and how she also grew up without a mother.  Through the years, I kept those stories in my head, always with the idea that I'd like to write a book about her life. 

Finally in 1984, I set aside a day in January to begin writing.  I was a totally untrained, inexperienced would-be author.  So I almost gave up before I had even started. 

My training to be a school teacher came in handy, and with the Lord's help, the words rolled right off my pen, and I quickly filled many pages of notebook paper.  When it was typed, it totaled 848 pages and only went to Aunt Agnes' wedding day. 

I was sure no one would read a book that big.  So I divided it into three volumes;  her childhood (NO TIME TO DREAM), her teen years (GIVE ME MY DREAM), and her school teaching years (DREAMS DO COME TRUE).

The Dream series was born!  They sold extremely well, and when people had read all three volumes, they called and urged me to go on with the series so they could find out what happened next. 

This is one of Dorothea's book covers.  The drawing represents Aunt Agnes' farm where she grew up.

I did some more research and wrote two more books about her early married life.  The fourth book is called THIS DREAM IS REAL.  The last book in the series is called THE LONG AWAITED DREAM and tells how life was for my aunt after I came there in 1928 and runs up to the time I left there to move back to my dad's so I could go to high school with my sisters. 

My writing has been a very successful venture, and I have reaped many benefits, monetary and otherwise from this opportunity.  I feel knowing the Lord has made these many wonderful and impossible dreams come true within my life. 

To order copies of Dorothea's books, you can contact her at:
      Dorothea Jorgensen Ellsworth
      5657 Ellsworth Ave.
      Stanton, MI 48888
      (517) 831-4162

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A poem by Dorothea recalling the experience of living in the home of Aunt Agnes and her family.

MEMORIES OF HOME by Dorothea Jorgensen Ellsworth 09/05/00

 

The house looks sad and empty
Where it stands there all alone;
It brings back many memories
Of when it was my home.

Aunt Agnes and Uncle Fred's home where Dorothea was raised.

I recall the cheery kitchen,
That always smelled so good,
And the cook-stove huffing merrily
As I carried in the wood.

And when we washed the dishes
Then I had a chance to share
All the secrets in my heart
Because I knew she cared.

I remember the family dinners
In that dining room, so small;
Somehow there was always room,
And it always held us all.

The living room was warm and cozy
When we spent winter evenings there,
And listened as Aunt Agnes read
In her old-fashioned rocking-chair.

Upstairs were the bedrooms
Where I kept all my treasures;
Where I slept and read and played,
And enjoyed many pleasures.

As I looked around that empty yard
It didn't seem the same
As when I ran the mower there,
Or when we played our games.

I remember lying in the shade
Of the big maple tree,
Lost in the stories I read
When I was young and free.

The barn is quiet and empty,
With no horses and no cows,
And Uncle Fred's not busy
Stacking hay up in the mow.

The hen-house where I went each day
Is empty now and still,
And I hear no creaking fans
On top of that high wind-mill.

It doesn't seem so long ago
That I spent my childhood there;
But, I can no longer run and play;
So, I just reminisce in my old wheel-chair.

 This poem was written by Dorothea as a celebration of fifty years of marriage to her husband Vern.  

My husband's life has surely changed.
Now he's no longer free
For he must clean and cook and wash
And also take care of me.

He must be ever ready
To answer my every call
And make sure he's always there
So that I will not fall.

He must give up the things he likes
For I can't be left alone
He can't take fishing trips up north
But instead must stay at home.

How glad I am for his faithful care
Through all these fifty years
For he's upheld his wedding vows
Through sadness, joys, and tears.

Dorothea and her husband, Vern celebrating 50 years of marriage.

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To order copies of Dorothea's books, you can contact her at:
      Dorothea Jorgensen Ellsworth
      5657 Ellsworth Ave.
      Stanton, MI 48888
      (517) 831-4162

Her titles in the Dream Series include:

No Time to Dream
Give Me My Dream
Dreams Do Come True
This Dream Is Real
The Long-Awaited Dream

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Other WHO ARE YOU pages

Page 1: 
OUR STORY, K. Johnson, family caregiver 08/21/00 (4 min.) 

Page 2: 
ME PREGNANT?, D. Nufe, professional caregiver 09/27/0 (4 min.)
MY LITTLE SWEET PEA, D. Nufe, professional caregiver  06/13/01  (1 min.)

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