Lorna Idol

In Meeker Times: Seven Values for Guiding Children in Community Lorna Idol

In Meeker Times is Lorna Idol's whimsical journal into the past, bringing forth into the present values that are likely to bring success to children regardless of where they are raised. She captures some of the essence of her experience of growing up in a very small town in the mountains and countryside of Northwestern Colorado, where the residents in this small community helped to raise the children. In Meeker Times contains a collection of twenty-eight stories, most are true and a few are whimsical. The stories are organized around seven values for living that were the essence of life and part of one's upbringing in growing and thriving in this small and closely knit community. Some of these little stories are based on true events that happened, some are based on reports of true events that did happen, and some are musings about what might have happened. Lorna Idol brings to the reader's mind what it was like to grow up in an isolated, rural Western town where three, four, and even five generations of families live in the same town. Through her stories, she explores the various human characteristics and values that were taught to children in this small and distant place of living. Sometimes she writes about outside people who did not fully understand about country living and the lessons to be learned. Sometimes she extends her exploration to how some human characteristics seem to flow over into the behaviors of animals, which abound in the rural life in Colorado. Sometimes she muses about what might have happened. Primarily, she writes about true events that happened, especially to her ancestors. The seven values are organized into the following: On Falling in Love, On the Village Raising the Children, On Determination and Persistence, On Listening or Not, On Building Confidence, On Spiritual Practices, and On Being Prepared.