This is the spiritual legacy of Nora McDonald. It highlights her character and life’s most important qualities. It is a treasure to her family.

Nora McDonald

I’d like my children and grandchildren to know a little bit about my life and some of the values I cherish. I enjoy doing family research and wish I knew more about the values of the people I’m researching and what they found important in life.

I grew up in Illinois, the baby of the family and the only girl with three older brothers. I’d say I was a tad spoiled. I always knew my parents and brothers loved me.

I played the piano at one time. When I was 6 or so, I sat on Jimmy Durante’s lap and pulled his nose. I also knew Dick Van Dyke and Jerry Van Dyke—Jerry better because he was Jack’s age.

I think the most stressful time I ever experienced was my mother’s death when I was 16. That was the hardest thing I ever lived through. It took me a long time to get through it—to tell you the truth, I don’t know if I’m through it yet. Even now. In a lot of ways, I think it was harder than my dad’s death. I was at a different point in life when my mother died—dependent and very vulnerable. I still have a hard time with her loss.

It was probably about that time when I started smoking. If I could change one thing about my life, I would never start smoking. That’s my bad habit—the same habit I had in the past.

I met Phil when I attended nursing school at St. Mary’s at Notre Dame. We dated and married in December 1955. We had six children together.

I think I did the best I could raising my family. Maintaining discipline was the most difficult thing. I was the heavy in the family. I was the strict one. I did find I had to treat each of my children differently. Some of them you just raised your voice and they would cry, while others would defy you all the way. Kids are all different.

But raising kids was rewarding, too. Our kids actually were really well-behaved when they were little. When we went places everybody would say, “They’re so well-behaved.” You know, it kind of amazed me because they weren’t well-behaved at home. But when we went to church, everybody would say, “They’re so good in church.” I don’t know why they were, but they really were.

I think it’s rewarding to see them grow up as individuals, all different but each very considerate of others. Some kids can be real bratty but our kids never were. I was always kind of amazed because I think they were a lot better than I was as a kid. I don’t think it was anything we did or didn’t do; they just were.

As a parent, I remember a lot of things the kids did that amazed me. I wish I had written them all down. I look at these grandkids and I’m amazed at all of them and what they do. Some of the things that they say are just beyond what you would expect from them.

I have a strong faith in God. Although I’ve been scared a lot of times in my life, I know when to turn it over. I fully believe that God has intervened in our lives many times.

I certainly believe in life after death. As a matter of fact, when I was so sick in the intensive care unit after my last intestinal obstruction—when I was so mad at Dad because he thought I was going to die and called the priest to give me the last rites—I know my mother comforted me. I was so close to death, and I am totally convinced that my mother was there and she rocked me. That’s why I remember it so much—my mother came back and rocked me. I know she did.

I believe God pulled me through that illness, helped us when we returned to college and protected our children as they grew—and even as adults.

When I think about how the world has changed since I was a child, some things are obvious. We washed dishes by hand and fought over who was going to wash and who was going to dry. Now there are dishwashers, TVs, microwaves.

But more than anything, the world is a lot more violent than it was when I was a kid. There are a lot more murders. That was a rare thing when we had a murder and now it happens so often.

Politically, I’m a Republican—conservative—because I feel like we’re making a lot of dependent people in this country by putting them on the dole. They never feel self-sufficient; they don’t even know it anymore. Many people never know how good it feels to be able to provide for their families. And that’s pathetic.

When I was a kid, I think people took pride in being able to be self-sufficient—not just financially, but developing abilities and skills.

I think about sewing. I liked to sew when I was a kid, but I never had to sew. Yet I felt really good about being able to sew when I needed to, when we needed clothes. I felt totally capable of doing it. Later, I sewed wedding dresses for Jackie and Julie.

I look around and people don’t think that they can do for themselves. Almost anybody can do anything if they need to or want to badly enough. I could change the washers in the sink—I’ve done that before, although I have a heckuva time doing it.

It seems as though people today think they have to have certain family incomes. What’s a necessity and what’s a luxury have blurred together so people don’t know what’s a necessity anymore. I look at my bills and I think, “Shoot, I worry about the cell phone and TV and all—I don’t need a bit of that.” You know, these are not actually necessities of life.

Also, when I was a kid growing up, we had more faith in the government. I think maybe it was blind faith. But I guess because I grew up during the Second World War, when your country was threatened in any way, you were there for it.

Later, during the Vietnam War, people were running up to Canada to get out of the draft. But World War II was a different war in the fact that we were attacked, personally, our country. When I look at other countries and having our people die for other countries, I begin to have mixed feelings on that. I’m not sure that we should be in all the countries we’re in.

It seems all the politicians lie anymore, as if that’s all right. But it is not all right. I think people don’t know what’s right and what’s wrong anymore. I think that there’s no boundary, no right and wrong. I mean it seems like everything’s justifiable. I really do think that’s a big change. I think we grew up knowing what was right and what was wrong.

To tell you the truth, Christianity is a big help. A book I read by a psychologist said that if the church doesn’t set the guidelines, the state will. State guidelines are wide open. There’s no morality. Everything goes.

After earning my degree as a registered nurse, I worked for the Veterans Administration hospital in Colorado, and then in Vancouver. I left the VA and worked 20 years for a school district as a school nurse. I enjoyed the job and the people I worked with, as well as the programs I helped create.

As for my favorite pastimes, I like to sew, read and work in the garden. My favorite tree is a dogwood. I love tulips, crocuses and most flowers. I also love dogs. My first dog was Roger. We had Pup for a very long time, and I really loved my cocker spaniel, Poudre. Now I’ve got Rosie, a beagle, and it’s like having a toddler all over again. She chews up everything!

I like the Northwest, especially right here in Vancouver. I loved visiting Ireland and Europe. I always wanted to go to Europe when I was a kid. Now I’ve been a few times.

My favorite music is country and religious. I like John Denver, the trumpet, “Danny Boy” and “Rocky Mountain High.” My favorite movie star is June Allyson, and I liked David Janssen. Now it’s Tom Cruise. My favorite movie is “Gone with the Wind,” and I like to watch “JAG.”

I like Vincent Van Gogh and the “Gypsy Madonna” painted by Titian. My favorite book is by Francis Parkinson Keyes and my favorite seasons are spring and summer. My favorite holiday is Christmas, and my favorite color is blue.

I feel at peace and happy to be alive a lot—when I take walks in the morning, when I work in the yard. We’re unique and lucky with all of the family gatherings we hold. Our kids are all different, but they’ve all stuck together pretty well. I know if any one of them needed help, the others would be there.

If I had any advice for my grandchildren it would be this: Seize the day. That’s about the size of it. It only comes around once.

Looking back, I think that’s what I would like to remember more than I do: Each day is pretty precious.

Know that I love you and will always love you.