Joy Neal Kidney Nails It--Again!

Every family is unique, as are their histories and genealogies. Yet, many families share some interesting similarities, especially if they've passed down similar values and priorities.

These facts were reinforced in my mind as I read the stories in the latest book by my friend in Iowa Joy Neal Kidney, The Immigrant and the Outlaw. It showed up in my mailbox last week, and I dropped everything else I was doing and began reading. As I sped through the compelling stories, I was repeatedly reminded of similar events and values in my own family's experiences.

Family warriors, patriots who made great sacrifices for the people of the nation. People who returned from war to resume their lives and make some valuable contributions to society. But some never came back. Others, though they never went to war, nonetheless were pillars of their communities, contributing through consistent Christian living.

Hard-working men and women who persevered through tough times, hard economic circumstances, and challenging, potentially fatal, illnesses.

Parents who insisted that we youngsters learn and practice proper social etiquette, such as removing one's cap when entering a building and never--never!--wearing it at the meal table.

Showing compassion for others in situations worse than our own.

And the need for someone in every family to take upon himself or herself the responsibility of preserving and sharing the family's history, its stories, and its memories and passing to the next generation the values the family held dear.

The ancestors of whom Joy writes lived through the War Between the States, the Great Depression, and World War II. Many of my ancestors also endured those times. Both of our own generations endured the years during the Vietnam War.

Members of our families suffered loss of life, some through war and others through diseases, such as whooping cough and the Spanish flu, as well as other now-common and -curable maladies but that were then life threatening. The loss of infants from miscarriages and disease was an especially sorrowful experience, and the dates on countless tombstones reveal how prevalent such deaths once were.

Members of both of our families took in and cared for refugees. Joy's family cared for Bosnian refugees; my grandparents took in the Henry Van Dyke family from Indonesia.

Both of us had pesky younger sisters whom we came to love and cherish as not only siblings but also friends.

Joy and I both had teachers who taught us to love books and reading. And we both turned our love of reading into a mission to share our stories and research findings with others.

Joy Neal Kidney is the self-proclaimed keeper of her family's history, stories, and memories. The Immigrant and the Outlaw: A Collection of Stories from America's Heartland is the product of her latest step in her preservation efforts. It joins her other works (all of which you may learn about on her website at https://joynealkidney.com/ and purchase on Amazon). I own them all, but I think my favorite is Leora's Letters, which tells about five of her relatives who went to war, but only two came back. On the other hand, perhaps The Immigrant and the Outlaw is now my favorite!

Joy also is acclaimed for the stories she's contributed to the Our American Stories radio program. Lee Habeeb, founder of the program, wrote a compelling foreword for The Immigrant and the Outlaw that underscores the importance of Kidney's many works. His words also are a challenge to each of us. In that foreword, he wrote,

"Memory does matter.... But storytelling isn't just for historians ... or professional writers under contract. Storytelling is urgent work for all Americans. Because we all have a story to tell.... We have not just an obligation to tell them, but a duty, because if we forget what the people who came before us did, we will most certainly forget who we are."

Joy Kidney is telling her family's story. Her works and words encourage and prod me to continue telling stories of my own family. What are you doing to preserve your family's story?

Vanderbilt professor Donald Davidson told a young budding writer named Jesse Stuart,

"Go back to your people. Go back and write of them.... Go back and write of your country. Your country has your material."

If you aren't sure how to do that, The Immigrant and the Outlaw will provide you a great example to follow. Besides that, it's a great read!