My daughter Jessica inspired me to write this when she invited my wife Prudence and me, our son Peter, Scott Browne, and her close friend Natalie to share a weekend in San Francisco in the fall of 2019. Our objective was to review her young childhood, the age she has little memory of. Frank discussions brought me to my knees a couple of times when I talked of my young adult parenting and its unexpected challenges.
As I prepared to write my memoir, I concluded the driving focus in my life was being faithful to my family’s well-being. This significantly impacted my social interests, religious beliefs, people who led inspirational lives, and my career choice in international business.
Looking back on my seventy years I believe I kept my family in a safe place. Even through life’s occasional turmoil I fulfilled the goal by being surrounded by the people that love me and I them. In the process of writing the memoir, I gave myself the time to quietly reflect on the different life stages creating a narrative that I think you may find interesting which also may resonate with your own life.
A Memoir
The oldest of ten children, John grew up in a Catholic family: Sunday Mass and weekly altar boy duties impacted his feeling of faith and reverence. He attended parochial schools for his first nine years until he transferred to Bella Vista High School in Fair Oaks, California where he graduated from in 1968. He excelled in art winning several school awards and wrote for the high school annual periodical.
Being the oldest John, understood his roll being called regularly for family needs with regular outdoor projects -mowing, painting fences- as well as daily indoor work, from taking care of the younger siblings while Mom handled the youngest ones to preparing dinner. He remembers fondly living in two homes in his first eighteen years, first in West Covina a suburb of Los Angeles, the second nine years in Fair Oaks, a small town in the Sacramento area. The Abeln house was surrounded by horse pastures, orchards, so activities were focused outside, playing with the other siblings. After graduation he moved with the family to the Minneapolis, Minnesota area when his father changed jobs.