'It's the story of us'/Carol Raynor's book chronicles the 'extraordinary' lives of 'ordinary' Marshall area residents

Raynor
(Kathy Fairchild/Democrat-News)

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One thing she's sure of, though -- it was a project that really fed her addiction.

Raynor is seriously addicted to peoples' personal stories.

For that, she credits her training as a psychiatric nurse therapist and her long career working with emotionally-disturbed children.

"I was absolutely fascinated," she said. "What a thing this has been!"

What was initially envisioned as a spiral-bound documentation of church history morphed into a full-blown book, "Water Carried Uphill," with stories of more than 100 members, that sold out 300 copies in little more than six weeks, mostly by word of mouth.

The demand has been great enough that more have been printed and are now available at Square Corner in Marshall or by contacting the church at (660) 886-9697.

Raynor's initial interviews were with church members over 90 years old.

"These were people who had been through the Great Depression and World War II. They have all been through personal crises.

"And," she said, "their faith has made them very positive people," in spite of the many hardships some of them faced.

As Raynor shared the stories she heard with other members of the congregation, it became clear that the project would have to be expanded to include everyone in the church who'd been born before 1940. The dozen or so interviews Raynor had agreed to do grew into a project that spanned two years.

Raynor emphasized the book is really about "ordinary people who have led extraordinary lives."

"It's the story of us," she said, "a chronicle of mid-Missouri and a recreation of life in the first part of the 20th century."

Raynor, a fan of feminist author Betty Friedan, said doing the book has given her a new appreciation of older people. The common view that "people with gray hair have nothing important to say is so wrong," she said. "There is so much wisdom there!"

Her hope for the book is that it will inspire others to do a similar project, that it will be "a springboard for talking to older parents or relatives about their own stories," and help others to see the value in relating to older people and also how to connect with them.

Raynor doesn't have another book in mind right now. She's kept a journal since her early 30s, so writing is a daily habit. But she doesn't rule out the possibility of another volume, either. "I'm waiting for the muse to visit," she said.

Contact Kathy Fairchild at

marshallhealth@socket.net