While reading about “Treasures of the Snow” and “The Tanglewoods’ Secret” (and now also “Star of Light” and “Three Go Searching”), I came to know a bit about Patricia St. John and was intrigued by her unique family.
Patricia St. John was the third of five children, born in England to Christians returned from missionary work in South America. As she relates in the forward to “Treasures of the Snow,” she spent part of her childhood in the Swiss Alps. This zealous faith life shaped an interesting family life, but in reading about her parents’ meeting and marriage I was amazed at just how interesting.
St. John recounts her parents’ meeting when her father was 15 and her mother was a noisy little 3-year-old. Having disrupted her father’s sermon, the little tot was escorted home by the teenager who was, little did she realize, her future husband. St. John writes that at that first meeting, “He [Harry, her father] determined there and then that little Ella Swain was the girl for him and he would wait for her.” He waited almost 20 years.
This is a storyline that people nowadays would probably describe as “creepy,” but to a time more disciplined and less carnal than ours it carries all the elements of high romance. It is unique to meet your wife when she is a young girl and have the opportunity at a distance to love and appreciate her every stage of development into adulthood. Harold St. John never let on that he hoped to marry Ella and even encouraged her to go to college, waiting patiently while she grew and matured before broaching the subject of romance.
When he proposed to her, Ella was, according to St. John, stunned. Yet, she quickly consented. This was “because for years he had been ‘the best and most saintly man I knew.’” What a story.
According to St. John, “She [Ella] asked very little of him apart from his love, for she was essentially a giver, but for over forty years the calm, deep, selfless quality of their relationship impressed even casual visitors. No child of theirs can remember one sharp or irritable word between them and the atmosphere of that home inspired many young people to whom they opened it so freely.”
Life was by no means easy for the family, as St. John’s father went into ministry and traveled the world. First, the couple moved together to remote areas of the world to teach people about Christ. When the harsh environment took a toll on their infant children, they determined it was best for Ella and the children to remain home while Harold was gone for long periods of time. There was, according to all accounts, no resentment, only great love and liveliness in the family.
The warmth of her family of origin shows up in all of St. John’s stories, with characters clearly inspired by some of her family members. Where you see the warmth of family life most poignantly, however, is where it is absent. So many of the vulnerable children are ones who have lost a mother, father, or both. This primal wound exposes them to tremendous suffering, a fact that shows itself in the world. St. John creates vivid portraits of human suffering and shortcoming, while also offering the antidote, the love of family, ultimately the family of God. Important note: The wise Carole Joyce Seid advises in the strongest terms that you avoid the reprinted versions of St. John’s writing, which has been edited and abridged from the originals. Seid recommends the Moody Press editions, untarnished by needless revision. According to Seid, in the earlier editions, St. John “shares deep spiritual truths without the clichéd sermonettes.” So, perhaps, her books are not as heavy-handed as I initially found them if you stick to the originals. Further investigation is in order!
