LONE TREE

What would happen if you said ‘yes’ to everything? Every opportunity, every idea, every project?

You might have a story to tell.

Donna Schuessler Bean may not have said ‘yes’ to everything, at least initially, but “I’m always glad when I say ‘no’ to someone and then they talk me into doing it,” she told the crowd gathered in the sanctuary of United Presbyterian Church in Lone Tree Wednesday, June 4. “I’ve always felt I gained so much because I took that venture and I tried it.”

In this case, that venture was writing a book about her life experiences, from the time she was born on a Lone Tree farm during the Great Depression through to recent years as a retired schoolteacher. “That’s Just The Way It Was” is the result of a collaborative effort between her, sister Joyce Schuessler Werden, and daughter Diane Renee Bean.

Donna realizes now that the world she grew up in contained gender inequality; men were the higher-paid administrators in schools, and women the lower-paid teachers, for example. But “That’s just the way it was,” she reflected. “I never thought about it.”

Hence the title of the book, and its theme: “The world has changed so much since 1933, especially the role of women.”

Donna taught every grade level from kindergarten through junior high for at least one year in local school systems, and then moved on to conduct workshops for teachers across the country over her long career. Now 91, she has a treasure trove of stories to tell, and it was sister Joyce who encouraged her to do so. Ultimately, Joyce helped Donna flesh out her stories, provided context for them, and ordered them into a cohesive narrative for the book.

Diane’s job was to get the book published, no easy feat. It was a “true learning experience” she said, ultimately choosing to use the Kindle Direct platform on Amazon, which had its moments of frustration.

“I told my students, I learn something new almost every day I live,” Donna said. “Now here I am, the age of 91, passing on to people the story of how I got this far.”

Her hope is that when people read it, they will learn something useful for themselves.

And even now, she continues to gain from her journey.

“Right now, as I see my reflection in my mirror, I wonder, where did that little farm girl who was barefoot most of her life, where did she go? I know I don’t look the same today as I did so long ago, but I still feel the same inside, not aways sure of myself. But I was always and still always am willing to try most anything,” she said. “Although my personality is still basically the same, my ideas about life continue to evolve every day.”

Donna fielded questions from the audience and shared a story from her book before wrapping up with encouragement to those gathered to write their own books, suggesting Storyworth as an easy way to do that.

“I leave you with a challenge,” she said before the trio of women greeted members of Donna’s Class of 1952 and Joyce’s Class of 1965, who attended the event, hosted by the Lone Tree Historical Society, as honored guests. “Be open to continually grow your empathetic heart. I’ve learned that putting myself in someone else’s shoes enables me to connect with someone, even someone who may be very different from myself.”

“That’s Just the Way It Was” by Donna Schuessler Bean is available for purchase on Amazon.