Who is M.D. Schlatter?
I am a Converse by birth. I was born one of two girls given to my parents. Growing up, being a Converse meant ‘Family’ to me. I remember the safety and security I felt knowing I belonged to a ‘Family’. My parents divorced when I was 10 years old and that sense of ‘Family’ was tested and solidified in me in numerous ways – from having step-parents and siblings, to challenged relations with those I counted as rocks in my life, and realizing that ‘Family’ can also be those you aren’t related to. ‘Family’, or lack thereof, defines you and has a huge impact on who we become. Therefore, being a Converse is vital to who I am and where my views come from.
I am a wife and Schlatter by marriage. We married in 2002 and my husband became a Farmer shortly after we married. We live on a farm in the center of the U.S. and enjoy our conservative lifestyle. I am blessed beyond reason to be able to stay at home and work at keeping the house, the farm books, and food on the table – not to mention the endless job of keeping the clothes clean and mended. In 2015, we lost the Farmer’s father and I added another hat to my head: that of a farmhand, helping out driving the tractor and working cattle. It was a huge change for us and a defining moment in our family history.
I am a mother by nature. I have given birth to 7 wonderful children, though one was lost to us at 4 days old. This experience of birthing and losing has had a vast impact on my life and who I am today. My surviving 6 children are my blessings. Though they challenge me. They frustrate me. They keep me on the honest road. And I often wonder what I am teaching them with my life. I have hope (and pray considerably) that the legacy I leave them is one of assurance and trust in Jesus Christ. I am not perfect, but neither are they, and we are ALL truly and deeply loved by our God.
I am a dreamer by instinct. I would love to travel around the U.S. and explore its wealth of history and beauty (though the Farmer would question my interest in history as I get tired of museums quickly.) I love traveling. I love coffee (made my way). I love a good book. But most of all, I love creating – be it a delicious dessert, a new dress, a scrapbook of memories, or writing a book – creating is something I truly enjoy.
Lastly, and most significantly, I am a child of God by grace. In 2014, I had a genuine encounter with Jesus. After a lifetime of being raised in religion, to genuinely be loved by my Savior was freeing and profound. To this day I struggle to not fall back into and be legalistic in my beliefs but to be genuine – in how I live, how I believe, how I interact with others. But I know, though I struggle throughout this life, I am solidly and irrevocably loved by Him who has called me. My hopes are that my life glorifies my God and Savior, that I can raise the children entrusted to me in a way that honors the Giver of Life and my husband, and that when I die, some good can be seen from the years I lived.
Dot's Micro-Publishing House 