Bits and Pieces of Life

About the Book

These poems came naturally from life. When things happened, I had to express it somehow, whether it was the wildlife around me or problems I encountered along the way. Raising children always brings questions, and we worried like any parent does. We questioned a lot of things as our lives unfolded, and you can see them here in many of these poems. The poem “To Care” came from frustration at our ability to get along with one another. Poems came as we traveled. I had to write about them. Somehow they just popped into my head.

About the Author

Jean Henning worked as a secretary and a teacher in the elementary grades until her children, Ron and Susan, arrived. She is also a water-safety instructor and worked in the summer months with her husband teaching swimming. She swam with a synchronized team in competitions and coached synchro.

Dr. Henning, a dentist and former outstanding swimmer for the US, became involved in Illinois swimming as an official. He was moved into national and international swimming by the US Olympic Swimming Committee. Eventually he became president of the Pan-American Swimming Federation and then the International Swimming Federation. Because of his involvement, we traveled a great deal to meetings and Olympic Games, where Dr. Henning was directing all the aquatic events.

Jean wrote a book about some of the inner events of the games called A Sports Odyssey, a journal of an Olympic wife, and Six Days to Swim, the story of Olympic swimmer Jeff Farrell. She has also published poetry in various magazines as well as leaving a few poems in Yugoslavia and Russia. Born and raised in Naperville, Illinois, she lives on Marco Island, Florida.