Dianne Haasch Freeman

Dianne and Jim Freeman deliver the last set of handmade animal chairs and table - a labor of fun and love for their five grandchildren. They were relieved that the airlines accept unassembled furniture as checked baggage, especially when transporting it from Idaho to Florida for Elizabeth and Casey Freeman.

We live in Lewis and Clark country. In 1806, the Corps of Discovery passed within a mile of our house, located in the little town of Nezperce, Idaho (pop. 500). My husband, Jim, and I are looking forward to retracing their route along the Lolo Trail this summer.

Time to pursue such interests is the joy of retirement. My husband has completed a career as a school administrator, and we have lived in Idaho all but one of our 40 years of marriage. He thrives on outdoor adventure, and I join him for trail camping, skiing, sailing and river rafting escapades.

My career has centered on homemaking and motherhood. I think our culture is realizing anew what an important contribution those nurturing roles make to the stability of our nation. We lived on 60 acres of farmland, so there was plenty of outdoor work to occupy our growing family. Our nest emptied suddenly when the twins, only 26 months younger than their brother, left for college. Now our three sons reside with their wives and children in Seattle, Boise and Tampa.

Before our sons were born, I taught high school government (my major at Pomona) and English (my minor) for three years. However, my twin passions have always been music and writing. I gave piano lessons for several years and have accompanied many vocalists (including my husband) and aided worship in churches. While our sons were in high school, I eased into journalism. In 1990, I purchased a small community newspaper in the Boise valley (the Middleton Gazette) and published it for five years. I enjoyed the wonderful variety of work — reporting and writing, selling and designing ads, photographing, doing layout with desktop publishing. Fortunately, I'd had experience pulling a few all-nighters at Pomona!

I was "surprised by joy" (to borrow C. S. Lewis’ book title) after becoming a Christian in January, 1962. Unable to figure out what to do next, I turned to Bible Study Fellowship for a crash course in the Bible. I was amazed to discover how relevant God's message was to my daily life. . .even in a chaotic houseful of boys. I have continued to lead small home Bible studies. What a joy to encourage others to find out for themselves how our powerful God can help them day by day!