Life was never easy for Coral Russell, a Black woman facing prejudice with her family on Lily Hills, a rural farm in Oregon. Her husband had died before World War II, then after her sons were drafted, they were both killed overseas. After the war, Coral's daughters left the farm to pursue college educations in California. Coral was left to face perilous weather, financial challenges, and health problems on her own. Her friend Amos Matthews and his son, James, helped Coral struggle to maintain her 25-acre lily farm.
Then one rainy February morning, a little Japanese girl, Kamika Satsuma, wanders onto her land and everything changes.
Soon the lives of the Satsuma family become entwined with the Russell household as they learn how different cultures navigate through crises by working together. During a snow-riddled winter, Amos contracts pneumonia, and they are forced to hire additional help. David Jenkins, son of another farming family in the valley, is a welcome pair of strong hands. Kamika, her brother, Kenji, and their parents step in to help Lily Hills survive.
As the years pass, Coral's daughters join the families to share celebrations and obstacles, until the Vietnam War casts a shadow over them all. James, Kenji, and David are eligible for the draft, and Coral feels her world coming apart, again. How will Coral find the strength and resources to overcome each new problem? Will she be able to hold onto her family and her farm, or will everything she has worked for be taken away?
Share the journey as the families build strength, face prejudice, fight for equality, and learn to create joy as only those with loving hearts can do.
Mobile, Patti: - Patti Mobile grew up with stories-bedtime stories, family history, story books, and comic books. Patti shares her stories with others, hoping to inspire them to write and share their own stories. Today, she lives in Long Beach, California, but loves to travel, listening and learning along the way. UPLOAD: COPY FROM BOOKPatti Mobile grew up with stories--bedtime stories, family history, story books, and comic books. Her favorite family story was about how her father's mother, Nana, traveled from Russia, across the Pacific Ocean, landing in San Francisco. She was only fourteen years old, and she was put on many trains by strangers who looked out for her and helped her to find her future husband and his siblings in New York. Storytelling is an art. It captures our imagination, and it helps us to understand each other and our world.Patti's story has both successes and failures. She was a competitive athlete from her twenties to her sixties. She received the Most Valuable Player Award at the National Volleyball Championships in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2003 when she was fifty years old. Today Patti lives in Long Beach, California, with her husband, Alex, where they enjoy growing vegetables, herbs, and fruit. They also have two telescopes that show them the ever-changing universe filled with wonders.Patti wanted to share her stories with other people, perhaps to inspire them to write and share their own stories. She says that one of the things that makes us unique is our creativity. We express that creativity through art, photography, cooking, clothing design, music, tools, and telling stories. She hopes that your journey through her imagination will be enlightening and entertaining. Safe travels!
