About The Author

Jimmie Lou Watson holds three education degrees from Arizona State University, including an Education Specialist Degree in Language Arts. In addition to a graduate thesis, she has written educational research and curriculum. Jimmie Lou is recently retired from teaching for the past 40 years in the Scottsdale School District. She and her husband, Jesse, reside in Phoenix, Arizona, have two grown children and two grandchildren.

Jimmie Lou is recording this anecdotal history not only for family members but for future generations and historians. Her passion is to share her appreciation for the determination, faith, and love demonstrated in the lives of her grandmother Karolina, and her mother Helen, that helped make America a great nation.

I will never forget my grandmother Karolina and her spirit of determination, faith, and love that lived on in my mother, Helen. I feel so blessed to have known these two extraordinary women, and I want to share their story. The generations who did not know them will now know how it all began—where we came from. They will know how the spirit of determination, love, and faith lived in Karolina and her children and lives on in us today.

I feel happy when I think of my grandmother and mother. I remember their love and their calm, gentle manner. Even though we seem insignificant when compared to God’s universe, they understood that we each have unique souls, cherished by Him.

Two events in my life triggered my writing of this book. The first was a card my cousin Linda gave me when Mom passed on into eternity. It states, “She gives us life and teaches us how to live it. Her love will always be a part of all we are. It must be hard to say good-bye to one who meant so much, but just remember that all of your mother’s best qualities live on in you—yours to treasure and share through all the years to come.” This card made me happy to think about the truth of these statements.

The second event was during a conversation with my son. When I said “I wasn’t raised that way,” he looked at me and said, “I have no idea how you were raised.” I was shocked to realize that our lives had been that busy—too busy for me to have shared with my children the wonderful memories I have of my grandmother and mother.

In my research for this book I enjoyed reconnecting with my aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, our children, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends who knew my grandmother and/or my mother. In talking with them, I felt the warm sense of family unity—the way Karolina and Helen did. I now share what I learned from my interviews, from photos, from my memory, and from the stories Mom told me over the years.

I share the past and the present. I want to continue sharing in the future. The most important thing I can share is the spirit of love and faith my grandmother Karolina shared with us. I’m thankful that her spirit lives on in us today.