24. Quotes of Clarification... Estes Park, CO Summer of 1964...

I have done some further search of letters I've saved for nearly a half century.  I found a letter which I had written to a good friend of mine during that summer.  That letter clarifies a few things which I hadn't written in the letters to my parents.

If you have been reading these blogs since I started telling the story of my Estes Park, CO summer, you know that my sister and I went there in order to find jobs as waitresses in order to make and save money for our college educations.

We arrived there on June 16th but did not get hired in waitress positions until July 3rd - just a little over two weeks later.  The two weeks of searching and waiting had nearly completely depleted ($2.00 left when we were hired) what little money we had with us but had provided fertile ground for our faith in God to grow.


Much of my story has been told through quotations because my parents saved all the letters I wrote to them that summer.  For our first two weeks in Estes Park, my letters home reported continual disappointment in our job search.  But on July 3rd, our situation changed dramatically.

I'm certain that we were so excited and so anxious to let our parents know that we had just been hired in waitress positions that we called them and shared the details over the phone.  There is not a letter to them which shares too many of those details.  But I had also written a few letters that summer to a college friend, John Worden, and he also saved my letters.  It is a letter to him that provides more detail about the excitement of July 2nd.

Dear John,                                                               Thurs. July 2, 1964

Now I can write you the letter I wanted to write two weeks ago but couldn't.  Kathy and I finally have good jobs as waitresses at Ranchouse Restaurant.  Remember that's where Sue B and Marcia L worked last year or whenever they were here in Estes.

It really is a miracle that we got the jobs and we sure are thanking God for the jobs.  Kathy & I have been working part-time at a laundry here for the past week but we still were waiting for better jobs.  We had thought we'd get jobs as waitresses at Elkhorn Lodge because the manager there told us he was going to make some changes & when he did, this would make room for us.  But for the past 2 wks he has been telling us he hadn't made any definite decision about the jobs but would know by the next day.  Each next day was the same story until yesterday he told us he was giving the girls until Sunday to shape up or ship out.  He told us he didn't think either girl would make it but still we couldn't count on the jobs. 

So really we didn't know what to do!  If we waited until Sun. and didn't get the jobs, the Bear Trappers (Inter-Varsity students) are coming Mon. & we figured our chances of getting jobs after they got here were pretty slim and also we had to be out of the cabin we're living in to make room for the kid's coming by Sunday. 

All we could do was pray & have faith that the Lord had a plan for us which He would reveal in His own time. 

Today we worked at the laundry until about 1:30, came home, ate lunch and tried to decide why we were here & what we should do.  I figured if any kids were going to quit jobs they'd do it the first of the month or right after pay day which was yesterday.  Since we were too exhausted to walk many places to inquire about jobs, we decided we'd rent a bike.  First of all, however, I called to find out if we could afford to rent for an hour. 

At the same time I called about that, I decided to call some restaurants & ask if there were any openings for waitresses.  The first several I called said there was nothing available but Ranchouse said there were two openings.  I asked if Kathy & I could come up right away & see about the job which we did.  We were asked to come back at 5:30 to watch the girls take orders & see how things were done.  Tomorrow we're to be there at 8:30 to be fitted for uniforms & we'll start work about 10:00. 

In uniform outside of Ranchouse Restaurant.

This is so wonderful I can hardly believe it but the Lord has taught us much in these 2 weeks we've had to wait for jobs.  It's really been wonderful & now our faith has really increased since we know how big and wonderful our Lord is.  Ranchouse also provides room and board which is another answer to prayer.  I hope there'll be jobs for the Bear Trappers but I'm sure God will provide for them also... 

Would you please share this news of our jobs with Sue B as I don't have time to write her now?  Keep praying for us!  We've found many Christian friends already.  

In Christ,     Linda

All the experiences I had during the summer I spent in Estes Park, CO in 1964 were of great significance in my life.   When I started telling this story, I was intending to primarily pay tribute to a woman I met that summer who became one of the most important women in my life.  If you've read all 24 of my installments, you know the many reasons why I love this woman and cherish the friendship which has continued to be shared for over 49 years so far. 

Both of us know that it was God who brought us together but I know that without Joyce Bennett in my life during the summer of 1964, I would have missed a remarkable example of God's loving faithfulness to one - actually 2 - of his children.  To God and to Joyce, I am deeply grateful.

My Estes Park story of 1964 has been written.

I will write one more post to express some of the impact this summer has had in my life.  There is at least one more thing you'll learn about that summer which I'll share next time.