Kewanee writer has roots in the Illinois prairie - Olney Daily Mail

Posted: 30 Jul 2020 11:08 PM PDT

As if patching together a homespun quilt, a local Kewanee writer uses strands of time and memories from her childhood to stitch together colorful characters and stories of life on the Illinois prairie.

Writer Marie Smysor Watson now resides in Kewanee, but she grew up in rural Illinois, or what she refers to as"the woods." The nearest town, Smithfield, with a population of just 300, was just a few miles down the road. The daughter of Dennis and Kathy Smysor, Watson grew up with two brothers, Matthew and David, and attended Smithfield Elementary School along with 15 other students before the family moved to Cuba, another small town in Illinois. Her junior and senior years, she attended Cuba High School and graduated in 1995.

It would be much later after marrying and starting a family before Watson would finish up her degree in English literature with a minor in creative writing at Western Illinois University, but her love of spinning tales didn't start while she was in college. It began early in her childhood, when Watson recalls tucking herself into her closet to read books. It was around the age of six, Watson said, that she realized that books were written by people and that writing could be an actual job.

"I grew up in the country, surrounded by the woods, and so I heavily identified with Laura Ingalls Wilder's 'Little House on the Prairie' Series. I especially saw quite a bit of myself in Laura's character in 'Little House in the Big Woods,' her first book," she said

Watson's first attempt at writing a novel was at the age of nine. Not only was it heavily influenced by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Watson believes that much of it may have been plagiarized. And while many people choose to give up on their childhood dreams, Watson wasn't one of them. Although her talent has always been supported by her parents and later, her husband and three sons, life has a way of getting in the way.

"For about 12 years, I was a writer who didn't write. A few years after my oldest son was born, I finished my degree. I was a young working mother and it seemed that there was never any time to write. Adding a couple more boys into the mix over the intervening years, one with special needs, made it seem impossible," she said.

She admits she did continue to write some during that prolonged lapse – sketches and short vignettes of stories – and she fondly pored over old stories from her college years. But it took a life-changing event to set her back on course.

"As time went on, I felt more and more incomplete without being able to say why. Ironically, it took writing my grandmother's eulogy to spark the fire again," said Watson.

When her oldest son, Jack, graduated from high school, she made the decision to make space for her writing again.

"That was five years, two-plus novels, several articles and essays and countless short stories ago, and I haven't stopped," she said.

Just recently, and with a firm push from her friend, Jill Ryan, an author of children's books, her website, The Prairie Madwoman, was conceived. The name for the site, she said, came from the fact that she is a native of Central Illinois, a state she said she loves even for all its faults. The state also figures prominently in her works, acting as a setting for her stories, many of which are set in fictional towns. The "madwoman" moniker half-speaks for itself, she joked. The website's purpose, of course, is to showcase her writing, something she's hesitated to do before now.

"It's always a bit scary for an artist to put themselves out there. I can't speak for other creators, but sometimes it feels like the world treats the act of creating as something that we should've grown out of, something silly like needing a nightlight. But I feel like less of a person if I don't write, as if I'm just going through the motions of being a human, without actually being one."

Since launching her site, the feedback has been positive, and the act of sharing her words, Watson said, has been inherently gratifying. While the act of writing is a solitary one, sharing her work provides her with a new sense of purpose for her pursuit.

"Of course not everyone connects to every single piece of writing, nor do they even like some of my stories. And that's entirely OK," she said. "I just want to keep people reading, because reading has been one of the greatest solaces of my life."

Watson's fiction has certainly provided her with both readers and awards. Two of her stories about her outdoor adventures with her father have appeared as articles in "Peoria Magazine" and several stories have won best fiction prizes sponsored by "Writer Magazine" and NPR. "A Two-Penny Opera" won third place in a "Writer Magazine" contest and is just one of the stories that can be found on her website. Her piece, "Losers, Weepers," won a regional NPR competition for flash fiction, and will be added to the online collection soon.

"I'm always submitting stories and novels for consideration to contests and agent and literary journals, but I must admit that publishing is a tough and somewhat arbitrary world," she said. "You have to develop a taste for rejection, almost feeding off of it, if you're ever going to succeed."

While writing short stories is her first love, Watson has also written two novels, both set in fictional towns in her home state. One novel is set in 1990; the second is a saga spanning seven decades. Her third book, titled "The Bountylands," is still in the research phase, although she said she's about 50 pages in.

In September, with the return of some kind of school schedule for both her sons and her husband, Kirk, who is a professor, she has plans to continue work on her third novel with hopes of having a rough draft by June, something Watson characterizes as ambitious but doable.

Only this time, she won't be waiting around for a publisher or agent. Instead, Watson has begun to explore self-publishing, a popular option for many new novelists trying to gain a foothold into the competitive publishing business.

"I'm planning to use the month of August to navigate the wild world of Amazon publishing," said Watson. "I'm going to publish my first novel, 'The Things I Used to Do,' through that platform. I plan on adding the first 50 to 60 pages on my website as a sort of a teaser in hopes readers will buy my book, but that's the nature of this line of work."

Her website is still a work in progress. Every Friday, she adds a new short story to the collection found there. She also plans to add a link to her writings elsewhere on the internet and her hope is to find a way to use her writing skills to help promote the concerns of marginalized groups, specifically the Black and LGBTQ communities.

"I realize, as a straight, cisgendered, white woman that I need to tread lightly here, but this is something that I'm committed to learning more about, and in turn, helping others to understand the importance of," Watson said.

Since Watson's sons have gotten older and more self-sufficient, she also has been able to take trips with her dad, whom she refers to as her "hero." The pair have not only skydived together for her 40th birthday, but they have also kayaked the Spoon River, her account of which was featured in a local magazine. Before the pandemic, the father and daughter had planned to hike 250 miles of the Appalachian trail in honor of Smysor's 70th birthday, but they've had to postpone that until next year.

"Even though he isn't a writer himself, he has the mark of one," Watson said of her father. "He's always willing to explore, always interested, always learning, always wild. That's exactly how I want to remain for the rest of my life – wild and curious."

From Catholic Italian to Jewish Rabbi: David Martinetti Shares His Story - Chabad.org

Posted: 02 Aug 2020 02:32 AM PDT

A few months ago, I first shared a story about my encounter with Elisheva Martinetti, at the time a 16-year-old Chinese girl who was hoping to convert to Judaism. When Elisheva heard about the article, we were virtually reunited 10 years after our original encounter, which led to an interview where we spoke openly about our respective childhoods in Communist USSR and China respectively, and the choices we made to embrace Judaism and the Torah way of life.

But the story doesn't end here. I have been blessed to discover that Elisheva's husband, David, has an awe-inspiring journey of his own!

David Martinetti was born an only child to a typical Italian family in a small city called Cesano Boscone, an hour away from Milan. His parents were traditional Catholics, but not particularly observant in their daily lives. From a young age David questioned the authenticity of his parents' traditions, yet the answer he received did not satisfy his curiosity. At some point during his teenage years, David came to the understanding that the foundation of the Christian faith is Judaism, and felt it important to pursue the source and read original texts.

By the time he was 16, David still hadn't encountered an opportunity to meet an actual Jew. On April 25, 2010, he attended the annual celebration of Italy's liberation from the Nazi regime, where he saw representatives of the Jewish Brigade Group wearing Jewish attire. His dream of meeting a Jewish person was coming true at last!

"As I went up to speak to the group, I told them that I was interested in their organization. One of the members invited me to participate in a celebration of Israel's Independence Day just a few weeks away.

"Although this was my first encounter with 'real' Jews, I had secretly already been trying to learn to read Hebrew on my own. Unfortunately, my parents were not particularly supportive of this new interest. So while I did not share my plans to attend the Israel Day parade with my parents, I let my grandmother in on the secret, and on the much anticipated day, she traveled with me to Milan to help me find my way.

"I was so excited that I arrived hours early. It was there that I saw an Orthodox Jew, a real rabbi, for the first time in my life. He had arrived early too, to set up his outreach work for the large crowd that was anticipated.

"I stood alone, observing him. The rabbi walked toward me with a smile, extended his hand warmly, and offered me my first Jewish greeting: 'Shalom.' I froze, completely overwhelmed.

"As the day unfolded, I observed this warm and friendly rabbi putting "black boxes" (tefillin) on participants, smiling and answering questions. I felt instantly connected to him. After all, he was the first rabbi who shook my hand and greeted me in the holy tongue. Unfortunately, I was too shy to speak to him or ask questions."

By that summer, David had made the life-changing decision to join the Jewish people. Of course, at the time, he had no idea what conversion to Judaism entailed or just how complex his journey was going to be. Despite the challenges that lay ahead, his determination was undeterred, and just like his future wife, Elisheva, he was committed to sacrifice whatever it took to become a part of the Jewish people.

"It took a lot of courage before I finally dialed the number of one of the organizers from the Israeli parade," David recalls. I asked to be connected to a teacher who could help me learn about Jewish traditions. Amazingly, when I finally met my potential rabbi, I was greeted by that same friendly face and unforgettable smile of the rabbi who shook my hand months ago—a clear sign that I was on the right track.

"It was the beginning of my lifelong connection with Rabbi Shmuel Rodal. We started learning about the Seven Laws of Noah. Although 16 people attended the second class of the series, I was the only student present for the first, which gave me an opportunity to ask questions, bond with the rabbi, and confide in him my desire to convert."

The weekly classes took place in Milan, ending late night when the trains were no longer running.

David's parents picked him up after the first class but made it clear that they were unwilling to do it again. After the second class, he was visibly worried that he had no way of returning home. Just then, his fellow classmate shared that he lived a few minutes away from David's house and would be happy to give him a ride home each week. Once again, David saw this as a sign that he was on the right path and was being guided by his Creator.

As time went on, David's commitment to his Jewish education intensified. He appealed to Rabbi Rodal to include lessons on important Jewish ideas, in addition to the Seven Noahide Laws. Recognizing how seriously the young man took his studies, Rabbi Rodal agreed to teach him twice a week.

By this time, David knew with certainty that he belonged with the Jewish people.

"When I turned 18, I became legally independent and decided to move to Israel. My parents were shattered and went to speak to the rabbi, asking him to convince me to finish high school in Italy.

"The rabbi listened to their anguish and told me, 'David, whatever you start in life, you need to finish. You need to complete your high school education and then move on to the next stage of your life.' The rabbi also advised me to honor my parents and get the best grades possible.

"I listened to his advice, spending hours toiling over my homework, and graduated high school with all A's. After my graduation in 2012, I started looking for a Jewish school—a yeshivah either in the United States or in Israel—with hopes of beginning my conversion process. I knew that I needed to start living in a Jewish environment.

"It had become increasingly complicated for me and my parents to live together. Unfortunately, my plan to attend yeshivah did not come to fruition since no Jewish school was willing to take me in. Once again, Rabbi Shmuel Rodal acted as my guardian angel and offered to create a custom curriculum just for me. For two full years, we studied together every day for four hours.

"The first year, I continued to live at home, hiding everything Jewish in order not to upset my already aggravated parents. At the end of the year, I moved in with my grandmother where I could be more open about my observance.

"During the summers, Rabbi Rodal was away in another city so I had to take a break from our learning. My usual daily schedule included a two-hour commute, our four-hour learning session, as well as extra time with the rabbi's family. Since I no longer had anywhere to go, I moved into a vacant family vacation home, where I spent my days watching countless videos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe's talks. There, in isolation, I worked to improve my Hebrew reading skills, spending hours in prayer and study."

As I listened to David share his story, I thought back to the way I concluded my first article about Elisheva. At the time I did not know what had become of her, so I simply wrote what I imagined: "In my dream, she is holding hands with her skirt-wearing daughters, while her kippah-wearing husband is talking to her in a soft, kind voice."

Incredibly, David is that kippah-wearing husband, and they do have a little girl. Sometimes, reality is even more magnificent than dreams! Yet I could have never imagined that while Elisheva was finding her way to the Jewish people, David was seeking the same truth in another part of the world.

While David was alone in his journey, fortunately Elisheva had support of her mother.

When I asked David where he drew his courage, despite his loneliness and the resentment from his family, he explained:

"In one of the many arguments with my mother, she tried to reason with me, saying that even if I was to convert to Judaism, I would never truly belong because no 'real' Jew would ever marry me. She was certain that I would be completely alone in the world.

"She was worried that I would have no friends, no community, and no support. She was genuinely concerned. I was surprised by my own reply when I asked her, 'What is the difference between gold and aluminum?' She was confused by my question. I explained that while both metals seem similar, gold is infinitely more valuable and rare. I understood that I could have a lonely, unfamiliar life, yet to me the value of the 'golden' truth was infinitely greater than all the noise of the mundane 'aluminum' world."

David found his authentic truth, and nothing could stand in his way.

"At the end of my second year of intense studies, Rabbi Rodal smiled and announced that by Rosh Hashanah I would be counted as a 10th person in the minyan. I was converted by a beit din, a Jewish court of law, in Brussels, on the 24th day of the Jewish month of Elul. I didn't know it at the time, but the day already had significance as it is Elisheva's birthday!

"Two months after my conversion, I went to study at a yeshivah in Safed, Israel. Rabbi Rodal arranged and paid for my studies. No words can express the gratitude that I feel. His time, generosity, thoughtfulness and financial support can never be repaid. I simply want to emulate his kindness by the way that I live my life. This is the only way I can honor the rabbi that changed my life."

Two years prior to David's arrival in Israel, his future wife, Elisheva, was studying a few blocks away in this same city, growing in her own journey. Three years later, their destinies would merge.

After studying in Israel for two years, David went on to learn in a yeshivah in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, N.Y. Once again, he was embraced by the kindness of the Jewish people. He met the Blizinsky family who "adopted" him as their own. He ate every meal at their house, where he met their niece and her friend. The young women knew Elisheva, who was teaching in London at the time, and thought of introducing them.

When I spoke to David about meeting his wife, he concluded that the story was nothing short of a miracle. "When I began to date, my parents were not the only worried ones. Many people expressed their concern for my future. After all, I had a complex identity and an unusual past. At some point, I decided for myself that if I was not married or engaged by my 24th birthday, I would never find the right girl. While this was a silly notion, the thought haunted me. In the end, Elisheva and I celebrated our engagement on the night of my 24th birthday."

Elisheva and David were married in London in October 2018; their wedding was attended by friends and rabbis from China, Italy, Israel, Australia and the United States.

Their stories span continents and cultures, each detail clearly orchestrated by Divine Providence.

Today, David's parents are proud of the life he has built with Elisheva. They love to visit and play with their beautiful granddaughter. David's grandmother has also visited. David is a rabbi and continues to spend his days learning Torah. His wife is his greatest supporter.

Before we concluded the interview, I asked both David and Elisheva about their future dreams. I was not surprised by the answer of this power couple.

"Our dream is to emulate all the kindness we received along our journeys. We hope to become Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries, shluchim, and find the place in the world where we are most needed."

I wiped away tears as I looked through the screen of my Zoom meeting with this Chinese-born young woman and Catholic Italian-born young man.

Throughout their journey, David and Elisheva experienced Divine guidance and tremendous kindness, empathy and dedication from the Jewish people. The way these seekers of truth were treated, respected, and cared for offers us a glimpse to the powerful, eternal Light of the Jewish nation.

Their journey is a clear reminder that when a person wants to find a path back to the Creator, no obstacles will stand in the way. As David pointed out: "A life where G‑d's ways are revealed is a life of true blessing!"

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Kewanee writer has roots in the Illinois prairie - Olney Daily Mail

Kewanee writer has roots in the Illinois prairie - Olney Daily Mail

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