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"What?" the mother cries "What about my baby? Is it okay?" Patience reaches for her stethoscope and listens for a brief moment

"The baby’s fine," she reassures and that may be so, or possibly not She didn’t spend a lot of ti "Now bear down like you ain and I pour a little of the oily golden liquid on her fingers She wipes it around the woina and two pushes later the head is out "Wait! Blow!" There’s a rubbery cord around the baby’s neck She eases it off and the baby drops into Patience’s clever hands She holds the blood-covered, dark-haired, wailing infant out to me and when she reaches out her chubby little arht has burst ht

May 5, 1934

Today I accompanied the midwife, Patience Hester, to the bedside of Thelma Booth,heavily and ere concerned about an abruption or previa Since there was no titon, Patience, had her stand for the last bit of labor to create a ta slowed and a healthy 5-pound, 6-ounce baby girl was born a few minutes later The father, Wally Booth, a coal miner, at the Horse Shoe Mine, could not co two shifts in the hole, so Patience and I had to stay the night

The ave the broken-down sofa to oing up and down the road and we had only bread and milk for supper

7

Prayer

Outside, another day fades Inside, flames crackle in the heater stove and there’s the cozy smell of woodsmoke Yesterday, I discovered a sh to build an evening fire, but it won’t last long, and hopefully it will soon be war, on’t want a fire Lamp oil will always be needed, but for noe have the three candles I brought from Perrysville I aht need it for food

I let out a breath and stand up "Bedtiin our ritual

First, we march to the outhouse I wait outside while Bluress, I have to adht beside hian Next, we return to the kitchen to wash in the white ena soda

This is one of the things Dr Blum and I have in commonor had in common, I should sayWe once shared a keen desire for scrupulous oral hygiene, and I still spend at least twowith our Reputation toothbrushes Isaac sits on a wooden kitchen chair in a trance with his mouth as wide as a baby bird’s I actually think he likes it

Finally, I rehtshirt Then I lead hireen quilt (He still refuses to go up the stairs to the other bedroom)

My day is almost over I blow out the candle and for achair next to him "Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep" I whisper "If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord h with the children’s prayer, Isaac is already snoring

That’s when ins, a prayer with feords "Thank you for all that we have and help us get through toh toh I dread it, I will look for work again