A Year in the Life of Emilie Jones
By Jen Selinsky
()
About this ebook
"A Year in the Life of Emilie Jones" is fictional work. The book is a diary written from the perspective of housewife, Emilie Jones, in 1956. The diary is made to look real, and the reader gets the impression that Emilie somehow picked out a drama-filled year to reprsent in her writing.
Jen Selinsky
Jen Selinsky was born in Pittsburgh, PA. In 2003, she earned her bachelor's degree in English from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. In 2004, she earned her master's degree in library science from the same school. Jen has worked as a professional librarian for over twelve years. She has published more than 170 books, most of which contain poetry. Her work can be found on the following sites: Lulu, Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, Barnes & Noble/Nook, Smashwords, and Pen It! Publications. She has also been featured in publications such as: The Courier Journal, Explorer Magazine, Liphar Magazine, and Indiana Libraries. Jen lives in Sellersburg, IN with her husband.
Read more from Jen Selinsky
Birthday Blessings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Blue Rose Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsComfortably Numb: Poems Inspired by Pink Floyd Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMoonlight Drive: Poems Inspired by The Doors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAnother Brick in the Wall Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCalendar Years Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJailbreak: Poems Inspired by Thin Lizzy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDelightful Desserts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBaby Blue: Poems Inspired by Badfinger Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEvening Reflections Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsClose to Dusk Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsClassical Music Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHungry Like the Wolf: Duran Duran and My Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWandering Further Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAssembled Thoughts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNight and Day Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn Medias Res Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTen Second Song: Poems Inspired by Genesis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIllustrated Sentiments Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpirits Among Us Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWalk This Way: Works Inspired by Aerosmith Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRed, Black and Blue Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsParadise Beckons Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBlack & Blue Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFragments Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDivine Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeautiful Music Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMidnight Stanzas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMinor Crossings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrespasser Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to A Year in the Life of Emilie Jones
Related ebooks
No Clues, No Shoes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFor the Love of Wood/For the Love of Food Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMollie's Tail: To Mollie With Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhen Dementia Came Knocking: A Daughters Journey : In the Beginning Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSecrets: Diary of a Gutsy Teen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Kitten Who Was Stolen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNanny’s Dimes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Memories Keeper Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNobel Genes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You Can Take the Girl out of Chicago …: Tales of My Wayward Youth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDiary of a Misfit Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Twelve Days of Christmas Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBoy Crazy: The Secret Life of a 1950S Girl Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChild Weeps in Silence Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTrue Doll Stories We Remember Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI Wasn’t Always Leeanne: An Adoption Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHis Love Endures Forever Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSMOKE RINGS RISING: Triumph of a Drug-Endangered Daughter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSelfishly Selfless Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhen Miracles Can Dream Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWolfburn: Together Forever, Always One, Never Apart Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDiary of the Cat Named Carrot Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Grandmother's Attic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGathering the Fragments of Myself: A Later-in-Life Coming-of-Age Story of One Woman's Road to Wholeness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDeranged: The Fleischer Series, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIf It's Not One Thing, It's Your Mother Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wee Time Traveller Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Magic of Fairy Falls Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRemember I Left You Each Other Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsElla's Escapades Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Biographical/AutoFiction For You
The Second Mrs. Astor: A Heartbreaking Historical Novel of the Titanic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Other Einstein: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Accidental Empress: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Post Office: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5America's First Daughter: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Auschwitz Lullaby: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Smallest Man: the most uplifting book of the year Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wolf Hall: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Diamond Eye: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bring Up the Bodies: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Her Hidden Genius: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Carnegie's Maid: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Count of Monte Cristo Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Mystery of Mrs. Christie: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Before Versailles: Before the History You Know...a Novel of Louis XIV Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Road Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Varina Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jubilee Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Quiet Madness: A Biographical Novel of Edgar Allan Poe: Great American Authors, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Postcard Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Only Woman in the Room: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lioness of Boston: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Well-Behaved Woman: A Novel of the Vanderbilts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Engineer's Wife: A Novel of the Brooklyn Bridge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fire from Heaven Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Empress Orchid: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Persian Boy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lady Clementine: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for A Year in the Life of Emilie Jones
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
A Year in the Life of Emilie Jones - Jen Selinsky
Introduction
On June 20, 2005, our family suffered the loss of a loved one. This was the day when my beloved Great Aunt, Emilie Jones, passed away. The news came as a shock to us, even though she was only a few months shy of turning eighty-five years old. Aunt Emilie, or so I called her, was loved and admired by everyone in the family, especially by me, because we had grown increasingly close over the years.
After things had calmed down a little, we all went over to her house and sorted through her possessions. It was not something that any of us necessarily wanted to do, but it had to be done, regardless.
Since most of us are a sentimental bunch, we decided to keep a great deal of what we found. I soon found myself rooting through drawers in an old cabinet she kept, hoping to come across anything interesting.
Aunt Emilie was a typical woman of her time, not very likely to have any secrets, or so I thought. It piqued my curiosity when I came across an old book that looked like it would have been abandoned for years—probably because it was considered misplaced; I found it in one of the tiny compartments of a drawer which didn’t look like it contained much inside.
I turned around and made sure no one was looking and quickly slid it into my deep jeans pocket. The diary had no problem fitting in there because it was so small. I also was a little curious as to why her children and grandchildren had overlooked the little diary. Perhaps, they might have thought that there was not anything interesting in that drawer.
It’s not that I didn’t want to tell anyone about my discovery, but I was almost sure my mother or father would tell me to stop looking in places where I wasn’t supposed to be.
But my reader should be glad that I chose to share this because I am about to show you Great Aunt Emilie’s diary for the year 1956. Everything she has written seems to tell a great story.
When I got home that night, I started to delve into the secret life of my great aunt. I also locked the door so that my parents and sister, who was also staying the night, would not come in and interfere with what I was about to discover. Once I finished reading the book, I told myself how surprised I was at having discovered that most of this information was new to me.
To the knowledge of everyone in the family, Great-Aunt Emilie did not keep any other yearly diaries or undergo any other methods to record personal events, except through photographs, doctor bills, and very few scattered letters sent to all her correspondents. It was as if fate ordained her to keep a record of this year because a lot of significant events happened in 1956.
Mom and Dad would understand me taking the diary and keeping it for myself, but they would not necessarily approve of me transcribing it and distributing it on the Internet.
The thought has crossed my mind several times, but I am afraid that I’m not much of a writer, even though this is not my work. I am, however, a great lover of literature. I must also admit that I’m happy to say that I have gained my family’s support when it comes to my love of reading.
Though I had to be coaxed into undergoing all the labors and hours of this transcription, my mother and sister thought that I should type the book and save it on my computer’s hard drive instead of merely having the book bound. Eventually, however, I decided to publish it online for the rest of the world to see. I did not edit much, as most of the content is as she wrote it.
To my great relief, my family was not upset at me for publishing and posting the book online. They are proud of this accomplishment, despite what I’d initially thought. I know that Emilie would be proud as well as others read about her life.
-Samantha Ellington, June 2008
Sunday, January 1, 1956
Stanley and I had our party last night—New Year’s Eve. It lasted until nearly 2:00 a.m. The kids were sent to bed early, as they got to stay here. They were supposed to be watched by Julie’s sister at her home, but she had other plans for the evening. I only had two drinks, but Stanley had much more than that, as he gathered around all his friends. He likes his job, but he is glad to have this time off because he feels a bit stressed about his performance at work. He hasn’t told me so, but I heard him tell others. Tonight, Stanley’s a talker, and once his friends get him going, it’s hard to make him be quiet. I enjoyed spending time with Judy and Betty. It was nice hearing about their lives and how much they looked forward to the new year. It makes me glad to know that I have my own children to share this time with because I know that they are gifts from God.
Monday, January 2, 1956
Stanley wanted to start taking all the Christmas lights and decorations down, but the kids and I wanted to keep them up. Once I told him Mommy’s tradition of keeping them up until the Epiphany of Christ on January 6th, he wasn’t that hard to convince. I told him I wanted to teach Michael and Stacy tradition to go along with religion. He just shrugged and told me that was a good thing for me to do.
Tuesday, January 3, 1956
Now that the kids are settled back in school, it gives me more time to think and get things done around the house. Boo-Boo, the dog, surely misses them, and he scampers about the house looking for some company. It’s really quite cute and sort of funny. Even though I have all this time to myself, I must admit that I get lonely when nobody is around. I do what I can in the quiet as long as the time goes by. Sometimes, Betty will call, or we’ll run into each other at the supermarket. It’s a bit strange if you think about it.
Wednesday, January 4, 1956
Michael and Stacy came running into the house with such a commotion. Really, I thought they were going to break something! I had to raise my voice, even though I feel bad having to scold them, but rules are rules. After they settled themselves down a little, I let them play in their rooms for a while, and then I told them to clean up for supper because Daddy would be home soon. They were all quiet during the meal and afterward.
Thursday, January 5, 1956
Stanley came home with a headache from his job, so that meant he didn’t want to be bothered. Poor Michael was so excited to see him that he wanted to go out in the backyard to build a snowman. There was just enough snow outside that they could do that. Stanley told him that he would do it another time, and I told Michael to leave Daddy alone. I just fixed his supper so he could sit there and eat it by the television. Honestly, I don’t even see why he bought that thing in the first place.
Friday, January 6, 1956
Mommy and Daddy came by for a visit before Stanley took the lights down outside. The children helped me take the decorations down around the house and put them in their proper boxes. Mommy and Daddy always enjoy seeing their grandchildren. It’s nice for them too. Stanley’s mother has been dead since he was a child. It’s been really hard for him over the years, so it’s something that he does not want to talk about with anyone.
Saturday, January 7, 1956
Michael helped Stanley carry the tree to the woods near our backyard. He does it every year—just drops it off a little behind the trees in the woods. Mommy and Daddy left after dark last night, so it was too late for him to do it then. Michael really likes spending time with his Daddy, and it makes Stanley very happy to know that.
Sunday, January 8, 1956
Dear old Betty called and told me that her nephew, Tommy, was sick with the flu. It’s such a shame, poor child. Sometimes, he and Michael play together, but Michael spends more time with his other friends. Stanley was in a good mood, so he wanted to take us out to dinner. I asked him what about the dinner I fixed, and he said to save it for tomorrow night. The kids were delighted and excited to hear that they were going out to eat. We got back, and the kids went to bed after an hour of television. (Honestly, they are becoming so spoiled!) Stanley kissed me and took me to bed. The children were fast asleep, but we were not…
Monday, January 9, 1956
After supper, Stanley went out to the backyard and built a snowman with Michael. Sometimes, I like to watch them from the window, and today was one of those days. After they came in, they were laughing, and Stanley was rubbing his hand through Michael’s hair. He said how proud he was that his son was growing up to be such a fine man. I couldn’t agree more.
Tuesday, January 10, 1956
Today was a quiet day around the house. I hummed tunes while I cleaned. I don’t think my voice is all that great, but no one is around to hear it. None of my friends called, so that made me feel more lonely than usual. I don’t know why I get like this, but I just do. Even though Boo-Boo is a porter terrier and a small dog, he does not like to be held, so much for that. This is one of the days that I count the hours until the kids come home because they know just how to make me feel loved. I know that I am my own person, but I don’t quite feel complete without others around, and I can’t really explain it either, that’s just the way I think.
Wednesday, January 11, 1956
It’s like a yo-yo circus in this house sometimes! Michael had over Todd, Joey, and Steven to play with him in his room. I am glad that he has friends, but I wish he would spend more time on his homework. Stacy is a quiet little girl and always has been. I hoped she would try and make some friends, but I guess you can’t always force such things. I just want her to be well and happy, such are the concerns of any mother.
Thursday, January 12, 1956
Today was peaceful, so much so that I could not imagine it being much different from any other day, really. I had another girlfriend of mine over for dinner, Mabel. I had only met her last year at the supermarket, but she is a fine woman. She told me that she is thirty-five and has never married. I must admit that I was a