Tag: Jennifer A. Janes

My Daughters: The Future {Women’s History}

My Daughters: The Future {Women’s History}
Written by ARWB March 2012 Bloggger of the Month, Jennifer Janes, of Jennifer A. Janes

Earlier this month, I wrote about women in my past and present and my desire to pass this heritage on to my children. As I continued to ponder women’s history, I kept thinking about my daughters. Generations from now there will be others who will view my daughters as part of their history.

When I think of the future that way, it’s sobering. What am I doing today to make sure that my daughter’s impact the world for good, leaving a legacy we’ll all be proud of? My children are still young—only eight and six years old. They have plenty of time to make their marks on the world, but I can already catch glimpses of who they will become as I study who they are.

Both of my children are compassionate. They have chosen to sponsor a child through Compassion International and actively seek out ways to raise money to cover our monthly sponsorship costs. They help us recycle paper and cans because it helps the environment and because the money we receive goes into our sponsorship fund. They have sold candy, coloring book pages lovingly colored by them, and fruit punch and coffee at our garage sales to raise the sponsorship money.

In my older daughter I see a budding scientist. I could be wrong, but she seems destined for a career in science or medicine. She enjoys studying the human body and nature and loves animals and performing experiments. My younger daughter is an artist. She’s very creative, and I can definitely see her as a painter, graphic artist, or fashion designer.

I want to nurture these traits: the kindness and compassion, willingness to work hard for what they believe in, and creativity. I want to help them develop their uniqueness and pursue their talents and interests.

My goal is to help my daughters become who they are. Based on what I’m seeing now, I think they’ve got amazing contributions to make and will leave a positive mark on women’s history, regardless of how far-reaching their contributions are.

How are you mentoring the next generation of women? They’re the next chapter in the history books!

Jennifer lives in Southwest Arkansas with her husband and two daughters. She enjoys reading, writing, Bible study, and spending time with friends and family. She has enjoyed serving as Arkansas Women Bloggers’ “Miss March 2012” and is honored to have been chosen. To follow her story, visit:

Blog: http://jenniferajanes.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jenniferajanes

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jenniferajanes

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jenniferajanes

 

Our Story {Women’s History}

Our Story {Women’s History}
Written by ARWB March 2012 Bloggger of the Month, Jennifer Janes, of Jennifer A. Janes

As I considered the topic “Women’s History,” I thought about some of the women I have studied and considered researching one who inspires me as fodder for this post. All I could think about, though, was our history.

I have regrets. I am not a genealogist, and I really don’t have a desire to spend lots of time tracing our family roots back to debtors’ prison in Europe. (I have family members who have already done that for me.) What saddens me is that I’ve lost stories that are part of who I am, part of who my daughters are. Our family is full of amazing women, yet their stories are lost because the storytellers have died, relationships have eroded, or I neglected to write down the stories I was told while they were fresh on my mind.

I have some mementoes to pass on to my daughters: a wedding band from my great-grandmother, jewelry from my grandmother, the quilt with flour sacking on the back that my great-great-grandmother made. I have a few stories too, but not as many as I wish I had. One woman in our family survived abuse at the hands of a man struggling with mental illness. After her escape, she got her college degree while raising two boys and had a successful career as an English teacher and school counselor.

 

Another woman in my family has been strong through circumstances that would have destroyed a weaker person. At the end of her ordeal, her husband’s health was wrecked, and she had relocated and left behind all of her friends and most of what she owned. When my girls are older, I will share her story with them, and they will look at her with new respect and will appreciate even more the time she has invested in their lives.

I remember snippets of other stories too: a crippled cousin who had to live with other family members because her own family couldn’t care for her medical needs, a maiden aunt who had a very long and successful nursing career, the woman who watched her brother walk away to buy a pair of shoes and never saw him again. No one ever knew what happened to him.

As you think about Women’s History this month, please take time to consider your story. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Talk to the history-keepers this month. Record or write down their stories. Your children will thank you.

Jennifer is a history buff who lives with her husband and two daughters in Southwest Arkansas. She enjoys reading, writing, Bible study, and spending time with friends and family. To follow her story, visit:

 

 

Blog: http://jenniferajanes.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jenniferajanes

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jenniferajanes

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jenniferajanes

Miss March 2012 – Jennifer A. Janes

I’m a writer. There, I said it. I have been a writer since the first grade, when I wrote my first memorable story, the one about the boy and the bubbles, the one that I illustrated when I still thought I could draw. I have spent years trying to find that story. I know I didn’t throw it away, but I can’t find it. My search for that story is very similar to my search for my writing self. I have written in journals off and on for years and have dabbled with being published in the traditional “write-submit-get published” manner. I had some success, but the path to traditional publication is a long, slow, lonely road.

I got married. My babies were born. We lost one precious family member, then another one. In the middle of all of that, I lost a critical part of myself—the writer part that is as critical to my survival as my heart, lungs, and kidneys. My dreams went dormant. I was caught in the whirlwind of life’s busyness, and I felt disoriented and alone.

Then my brother gave me a Christmas card in 2005. Inside were a URL, username, and password. My blog was born. In its infancy, it was little more than an outlet for funny stories about the kids and short posts about life’s boring details. Approximately 2.7 readers stayed with me during the early years.

My blog, like my children, has grown up. It has taken on a life of its own and has become the way my writing makes its way into the world, for now. Through my blog and social media interaction, I have found my voice, friends I never imagined I would “meet,” and my inner writer. Finally.

 

Jennifer blogs about faith, family, homeschooling, and having a child with special needs. She enjoys Bible study, reading, writing, spending time with family and friends, and taking field trips with her kids to bring learning to life. She plays Wii, likes pens with blue ink, and roots for the Arkansas Razorbacks (although she was raised a Longhorn).

Grab some sweet tea and dark chocolate, and join Jennifer as she navigates life:

Blog: http://jenniferajanes.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jenniferajanes

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jenniferajanes

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jenniferajanes