Welcome to Tea, Toast and Trivia. Thank you for listening in.
Frances and I are in the sewing room again, with the material stacked on one side of the room and on the other, the finished costumes for an upcoming dance performance. It’s exciting to see the progress, week to week on the colourful tutus and jazz outfits.
This week, our conversations turned to my mother’s recollection of the Ladies’ Aid Society. As background, Ladies’ Aid Societies were formed during the American Civil War. Women worked tirelessly to provide supplies to soldiers on the battlefield and to care for sick and wounded soldiers. They raised money, sewed quilts and provided sanitary supplies to solders to stop the spread of disease. When the war was over, many Ladies’ Aid Societies continued their good work.
Today, my mother shares her memories of the Ladies’ Aid Society of her community that worked together in the 1930’s and 1940’s.
So put the kettle on and add to the discussion. Frances and I look forward to your insights on TeaToastTrivia.com.
I am your host Rebecca Budd and I’m looking forward to sharing this moment with you.
Thank you for joining Frances and me on Tea Toast and Trivia. One last thought – comes from Helen Keller:
“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much”
Until next time, dear friends, safe travels wherever your adventures take you.
Tea Toast & Trivia 
9 replies on “Season 2. Episode 17: Frances on Community and the Ladies’ Aid”
What a pretty young girl your mom was! Frances, i enjoyed listening to your memories. I’m sure the market was a great success and how wonderful that the proceeds were used for good.This chat created wonderful pictures in my mind of community coming together and having fun and all in s good cause. Those women were so resourceful and hard-working and it sounds like the tradition has carried on to this day. (The egg coffee sounds delicious.)
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A few days ago, my neighbour told me that her mother would meet her friends for tea. They would never call themselves by their first name, only by their title: Mrs. Smith, Mrs Jones, Miss Kynde, etc. I had almost forgotten this nicety of a bygone era. I agree, the women of the Ladies’ Aid organizations were amazingly resourceful without the convenience of refrigeration et.. I am able to pop a load of laundry in to my washer/dryer without ever thinking of devoting an entire day to washing clothes. The idea of community, of community building and connection has always captured my imagination, especially in a world that prides itself as offering the best technologies for connecting. What I most appreciate about your blog, is how you engage within nature and with fellow creatures who share our world. It is a wholistic community that invites all. By the way, I had heard about the eggs and coffee but had no idea how it all worked. Now, I know that you mix eggs in with the grounds. Who knew???!!!
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You learn something new every day. 🙂
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I enjoyed this installment of Francis’s memories. I had no idea about the role of eggs in making coffee. Both my grandmother and my mother and my grandmother were very much in the Ladies’ Aid spirit. My mother continued to knit for various groups until shortly before her death.
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There was a strength that came when these women came together. While there was most likely disagreements or differences from time to time, these women continued to produce amazing results, even as they worked for the betterment of the entire community . Perhaps it is because they were giving back, working for a purpose and recognized that they could accomplish more as a group rather than as individuals. I envision your mother giving back until her passing – what a wonderful legacy and lasting memory for you to hold. May we continue in her steps and with her same spirit…
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This is one of the sweetest memories your mother has shared, that of women gathering to share their precious time and helping others with the little they had. In one of your earlier posts about farm life, I was wondering about the Dust Bowl during the Depression which your mother mentions in this podcast. I’ve read novels about women going to train stations to feed the soldiers, and now here’s someone who actually did this. How wonderful! Hugs for Mom and you!!
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I am so glad that you listened in to this podcast. During WWII American soldiers from every city and every town came through North Platte, Nebraska. It was on the troop train route. A small railroad depot became known by soldiers throughout the globe as the “North Platte Canteen.” You would enjoy Bob Greene’s “Once Upon a Town – the Miracle of the North Platte Canteen.” What is amazing is that my father was one of those soldiers that passed through on a troop train. And my mother’s Ladies’ Aid group was one of the organizations that provided food. So mom and dad were there – just never met until a few years later. Serendipity is full of surprises. 12,000 people lived in this community and, according to Bob Greene, this small population “provided welcoming words, friendship and baskets of food and treats to more than 6 million GIs by the time the war ended. Reminds me of the 5 loaves and 2 fishes.
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Oh yes, the story keeps getting better, if that’s even possible!!
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Hugs!
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