Janette Oke (28 page)

Chapter Thirty-eight

Good-byes

After enjoying the presence of six of their eight grandchildren close at hand, Edward and Janette found themselves suddenly faced with the prospect of having none of them nearby. In August 1991 Marvin and Laurel returned to Indiana, and soon afterward Terry and Barbara moved to Trail, British Columbia. It was a difficult adjustment, but they realized that all their children must make decisions as best suited their families. Saying good-bye to grandchildren was going to be especially difficult.

Little Courtney, then two and a half, confided to Janette one day, “Grandma, I don't wanna move to ABCD.” Her version of “Trail, B.C.”

Laurel did her best to prepare her own children for the day of their move, and had tears in her eyes when she heard three-year-old Jessica pray, “And, God, thank you for every single time we go to Grandma's house.”

Ashley and Courtney returned for a visit. On a cozy evening at home, Courtney crawled up into Grandma's lap to read her a story. She began, “One on a time.” Then she chattered for a while and finished with, “Amen.” And Ashley presented her grandmother with her own homemade trophy for making “pretty well books.”

In August word came that the Waldenbooks chain was to begin carrying Janette's novels. The stores were increasing the Christian stock on their shelves, and the wonderful news was greeted with gratitude.

In December Edward and Janette made a move of their own. Rocky Mountain College, the newly merged institute, had now progressed to the point where full-time employees were needed. A new president was named, and Edward was appointed academic dean. He and Janette decided it was time for them to move to Calgary. They put their house in town up for sale and, with great sadness, the little farmhouse as well.

The farmhouse had bids coming in on it even before the sale information was circulated. Everyone seemed to want it. There were offers and more offers, even above the asking price. It sold quickly. It was hard to let it go, but God had answered another of Janette's prayers. The new owners had been students at Mountain View, and Janette knew that the little place would be loved and cared for. In the summer following the sale, Janette drove by the farmhouse and found it as pretty as ever. The lawns were neatly trimmed, and the white fences gleamed in the bright afternoon sun.

When searching for a new home, Janette had three “wants”: a mountain view, a dining room large enough to seat the family around the table and still have room to move, and guest bedrooms big enough to hold a queen-size bed comfortably.

She and Edward found a house on the outskirts of Calgary that met all her requirements. The mountain view was magnificent. The large dining room had a bay window and an opening through to the kitchen. The two main floor guest bedrooms were also large, and in the basement there were two more bedrooms along with a bath and family room.

Some things about the house did bother Janette, but she decided to either change them over time or learn to live with them. The purchase of the house was completed and possession set for mid-December 1991. Janette hurried to get everything moved and settled. The family—all seventeen—was planning to be home for Christmas. Janette unpacked boxes as quickly as possible and did some decorating and general quick fixing. In a week the family began to arrive. They were amazed at how settled she was.

The house worked nicely. All the adults were comfortably situated in bedrooms and the little ones were given hide-a-beds and cots. There was enough space that the family was easily able to keep from tripping over one another, while leaving Edward and Janette their own quiet spot upstairs to get away from the constant commotion. It was a good plan, though no one seemed to be able to control the midnight visits from small grandchildren wanting to sleep with Grandma and Grandpa.

After the family left, Edward and Janette began to talk about changes they wanted to make in the house. It took several weeks for the plans to be drawn up, and then work began.

For Janette, it seemed to take forever. They moved into the basement with a microwave and a Crockpot. The kitchen was entirely dismantled. The basement was the one livable spot in the house—and the workmen even invaded that, since they needed to remove part of the ceiling to get at the plumbing and heating.

Janette felt cold, caged, closed in. The workmen constantly left the door open, letting the cold Alberta winter air swish down the stairs into the basement where she huddled. So Janette decided on a project to alleviate the problem. She purchased some wool, deciding that working on an afghan might keep her sane and help the time pass more quickly, but it proved too uncomfortable to be bent over the project for such long periods of time.

Another manuscript was due at the publishers, and this time it was terribly difficult to accomplish. How she longed for her little farmhouse. She left, instead, for a few days at a Banff lodge, and the trip away helped tremendously with her writing project. She finished the first draft later in a Calgary hotel, and then started the laborious task of reviewing the work in the noise and confusion of her own home. As she usually worked through an entire manuscript four or five times, she was particularly relieved to bundle up the finished copy and mail it off to Bethany on schedule.

At long last the workmen were finished. The tiring ordeal was finally over, and Janette and Edward were thankful to be able to live in the entire house again.

In the spring of 1992 the final classroom was closed at Mountain View Bible College. It was difficult to say good-bye. Both had attended the school, met there, and grown together within its halls. Their sons had followed behind them, and Edward had spent many of his working years involved with the school in one way or another.

After the final celebration weekend, a large auction was held. All the antique furniture was sold, as well as other things that would not be needed in the new institution. While Edward chose not to go to the sale, Janette went.

One of the items on the auction block was a large oval mirror that had hung for years in the main hall. To Janette's way of thinking, it seemed to stand for the college. She made her first bid on the mirror and, after some rather vigorous counter-bids, came out the buyer. After the auctioneer declared it “sold” to Janette, a gentleman stepped over to her.

“Is that mirror special to you?” he asked.

“Yes,” she admitted. “Yes, it is.”

“I'm sorry. I wouldn't have bid against you had I known.”

“That's what auctions are all about,” she reminded him.

“No! I am truly sorry. I'm an antique dealer, and I wouldn't have bid. I stopped as soon as I realized that you really wanted it.”

She was grateful that he had stopped. She had paid enough as it was and wondered if she had not acted a bit foolishly. But the antique dealer assured her the mirror was worth every penny she had paid.

When she got home, Edward was working in the yard. He walked over to ask how the day had gone. After commenting that the sale had gone well, Janette told him, “I bought two things.” Along with the mirror she had purchased a piano stool she felt she could use.

“Come see,” she offered, and raised the lid of the trunk.

“Oh! You bought the mirror!” he said, his voice a bit husky, and she knew she had done the right thing. She was glad she had found something that had been special to him as well. He never even asked her what she paid for it.

Rocky Mountain College opened its doors in Calgary for the first class on September 8, 1992. From the very beginning the interest was beyond expectations, and there was a great deal of excitement in discovering all the good things that God had in store.

With the family living in various parts of two countries, and the grandchildren growing rapidly, Janette and her family looked forward to any opportunity to be together, and Christmas became one of the focal points of each year. Many happy memories were tucked away during a week shared in a bed-and-breakfast in the mountains of Banff. Babies and young cousins played enthusiastically together, and the adults spent the days shopping or sightseeing. There was also a nighttime sleigh ride, and carols were sung as the horses pulled their load of tumbling passengers through the brisk night.

On another occasion, condominiums were shared with Edward's sister, Alta Mae, and her family. And the crowning moment came when Grandmother Oke treated her entire family to a lovely dinner at the famous Banff Springs Hotel. This imposing national landmark looms on the mountainside near the town of Banff. Constructed about one hundred years ago, the hotel's stone architecture gives it the air of a castle, and the dining was wonderful.

Oddly enough, the money for the meal had come to Grandmother in an unusual way. A gentleman from the town of Didsbury had contacted her and stated that he had an outstanding business debt he had owed Grandpa Oke before he passed away almost twenty years earlier. This man wanted to clear the debt, and Grandmother, somewhat surprised by the gesture, had decided to use the money to provide the family with an unforgettable evening of first-class dining at the Banff Springs. Course after course of fabulous food, and entertainment to match, were shared together during that unforgettable night.

Chapter Thirty-nine

Sharing Writing

In 1992 Bethany House Publishers contacted Janette and Laurel about the possibility of a biography. Laurel had previously written a fiction book for Bethany and, though her children were still small, was immediately interested in working on this project. One of the great benefits of the book was that Laurel and her four children were able to “come home” and spend a month with Grandma as the writing took shape. And delving into her mother's story proved to be a fascinating endeavor.

Teresa Budd, granddaughter of Jean and Orville, stayed at Janette's home to watch the children while Laurel worked at the computer, gathering together what Janette had written and poring over family histories and the many letters saved over the years. The result was the release of
Janette Oke: A Heart for the Prairie
in 1993.

Bethany House invited Laurel to accompany Janette on her usual trip to the Christian Booksellers Association convention, which was to be held in Atlanta, Georgia, that year. They signed books together, were interviewed for radio and television programs, met many interesting and exciting people, and attended the yearly Guideposts banquet. All of this was familiar ground for Janette, while Laurel was overwhelmed with her mother's fast-paced world.

Physical complaints continued to plague Janette, despite her best efforts to thrust them aside. There had been no satisfactory answers to the elusive list of her aches and pains. Then she began to hear of a new medical diagnosis called fibromyalgia. Finally, it seemed, there was a name for what she'd been experiencing: constantly sore muscles, throbbing headaches, breathless moments, and periodic clouded thought.

Unfortunately, the identity of the disease was so new and so poorly understood that even the medical community was uncertain how it should be treated. At least there were doctors who would acknowledge the legitimacy of what she'd been suffering. After a confirmed diagnosis and a trip to California, Janette began taking a concentrated nutritional supplement. This helped somewhat, but the wearying symptoms didn't entirely disappear. She hoped that medical science would soon be successful in finding answers. For the time being, she determined to restrict herself to natural remedies rather than become a “test tube” for chemical treatments.

Janette was gratefully aware at this time of God's provision for her. Had she been in almost any other occupation, one that required fixed hours or more physical demands, she might not have been able to continue. Writing was something she could do. And with the aid of a housekeeper, and a great deal of self-discipline, she felt she had some measure of control over the management of her condition.

Meanwhile, Lorne and Lavon were setting down roots in Mishawaka, Indiana, even sharing a house for a period of time. Lorne was teaching math and coaching volleyball, and Lavon taught music and periodically coached hockey. Then Lavon began working toward a master's degree in music at Indiana University, spending several summers there.

For Lorne, there was an offer from Bethel College to join their staff. He and his wife, Deb, also coached the Bethel volleyball team, and were successful at it for several years. Soon they decided to purchase a house next to the college campus. With students, family, and friends so close at hand, their home was immediately teeming with life, and Deb was busy entertaining great numbers of people.

She also put her skills in cooking and entertaining to good use when she began a project shared with Barbara Oke—compiling recipes for a family cookbook. Bethany House published
The Oke Family Cookbook
in 1994, featuring family photos and anecdotes along with time-honored recipes passed down through the years.

Emily Marie Oke was born to Lorne and Deb, giving Janette and Edward their ninth granddaughter—not a single Oke grandson had been born. But Emily was irresistible. She was a rough-and-tumble, ready-for-anything sweetheart who quickly joined with the older cousins in whatever play they had concocted.

After a trip south to Indiana to visit with the whole family, and to celebrate Lavon's graduation, Janette and Edward returned to Calgary mulling over thoughts about a comfortable place for Janette to do her writing. Memories of tucking herself away at the farmhouse in peace and quiet to write made a special place seem a necessity again. Trying to write at home in Calgary was never without the ringing telephone and constant lure of housework and errands.

West of them in the mountain town of Canmore, they found a lovely little two-bedroom condominium with mountain views all around. It seemed perfect. Not too far from home, yet far enough to provide the necessary sense of seclusion. They decided to purchase it.

Unlike the farm, there was little upkeep to the place, and it was much more practical for this time in Janette's life. Though the writing studio wasn't nearly as “cute” as the farmhouse—no period antiques or pleasant sense of its previous occupants—after breaking it in with the next book due to the publisher, Janette decided she was pleased with the arrangement.