Old Memories

Year 1932 Year 1941
Eva & Alton Paulson

Marilyn P. Johnson April 18, 2005 Journal corrected July 2009

Crazy day. Off to Reno to the doctor appointments. Kay had the spots burned on his neck and face including his lip. My doctor ordered lab work for me . . . fasting- for the blood work. Then a heart monitor test about the heart rhythms. Always something. We had lunch at the cafeteria in the hospital . . . home made soup and salad. Kay had to park the jeep in valet parking and paid a $ one dollar tip, that is the way they are doing it at Washoe Med. while they are under construction.
Then off to do the errands.
Costco..........oatmeal raisin cookies, power bars for the summer yard workers. batteries, We also saw our old friend Ruby Brodie. I also got my glasses fitted. . . then to Longs to get the new battery for my talking watch.

So nice to be home again and visited with Holly the dog. Spot the cat didn’t show up for muster . . maybe tomorrow he will get hungry. I took a long nap but Kay kept on working and puttering around the yard. Kay did such a good job of the day, doing all the driving and being cheerful and telling jokes.
Good job Kay Baby

We read the mail after dinner and put appointments on the calendar for the renewal of medical insurance for next year. That is always on a problem to solve. Big meeting in Reno at the colosseum and talking after to some one to help us understand what to sign up for. This is getting harder and harder for us to decide what we will be needing in the future. Oh well we are lucky to still be alive and kicking.

I’ve learned that regardless of your relationships with your parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. I notice I think about my parents almost every day, and wonder what they are thinking about the life I’m living and about the daily decisions that I’m making.
I learned how to work from my Dad and tenderness and tenacity from my Mom.

“I’ve learned that I still have a lot to learn.”
“I’ve learned that when I have pains, I don’t have to be one.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what
you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”


“I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life goes on, and it will be better tomorrow”

Quotes by Maya Angelou

God Be With You Till We Meet Again

God Be With You til We meet again

Saying goodbye has never been easy. Especially when we have

concerns about where loved ones are going, or how long they'll be gone, but

knowing that goodbye is really a pronouncement of the blessing, God Be with

You, can make the separation much more bearable.

Did you know that the word goodbye was formed from the longer

phase, God be With You, during the 16th century? For all those that seek to

bless family, friends and associates with divine help, this unsaid meaning of

goodbye can still remain the same. Go with a prayer for Heavens blessings

from those who care. When the former President of Howard’s University,

Jeremiah Rankin, learned the history of the word goodbye, he wrote the

hymn, “God be with You.” It soon became a favorite of congregations

everywhere and has been sung at many heartfelt farewells over the

decades. For example, at the end of world war a Christian missionary

prepared to leave New Guinea after serving there for eight years. She had

been in prison during the war,,,,,,,, her husband had died, and she was now

returning home, a 28 year old widow, without a single Possession. She

wondered if her mission had been worth while and struggled with feelings of

bitterness.

As the boat set sail she heard the Indonesian voices singing “God be

with you till we meet again.” The words sank deep into her heart and set in

motion a healing of her soul. Such loving farewells comfort those who leave

as well as those who stay

behind.

For many years, at the conclusion of this broadcast, we have sung to

our live audiences and today we sing it to each one of you. God be with you

til we meet again.





Taken from a talk of the Spoken Word on February 4,2006

Little Girl Lost

The Little Lost Girl


A little girl and her mother went shopping in a very large mall one afternoon. After being in a major store for some time the little girl grew tired and sat down on the floor to wait for her mother to finish the shopping.

While she watched the people moving around her, the little girl's mother moved on to another department not knowing that the little girl didn't follow her. Soon the little girl realized that her mother was nowhere to be seen and she started to cry.

One of the clerks soon heard her and came to ask her why she was crying. The little girl sobbingly told her that she had lost her mommy. The clerk took her by the hand and they set out to find the

lost mommy. After a few minutes had gone by the clerk had an idea. She asked the little girl if she thought that her mommy would recognize her voice, and the little girl nodded her head.

The store clerk took her to the counter and lifted her up so that she could reach the microphone to the store's PA system. The clerk told her to talk into the mike and her mother would hear her voice and come to get her. The sweet little girl held the mike close to her mouth and with tears running down her cheeks and a sob in her voice she said: 'I would like to bear my testimony. I know this Church is true."

Candelaria

Don't Panic

Marilyn P. Johnson Don’t Panic July 7th 2009

I asked Kay to investigate the dying tree on our property line by the trailer park. I went off to do errands and took my time coming home. Kay exploded as I pulled in the driveway. A utility pole had fallen on one of our fifty-year-old evergreen trees and the tree had died. It must have happened during the June rain storms. By the time I got home he was out of control and very upset. He called Jeff Ball of City of Fernley building Department. Jeff came and talked with Kay for a long time. He said the management of the motel next door will probably not do anything about this situation, and he had dealt with other problems with them with no results in the past. Jeff called the power company and recommended that we call them also.


I was frightened and had a hard time going to sleep thinking about a possible fire loss our home and even our lives. I woke up in the middle of the night in a panic. I tried reading, got up to the restroom many times, didn’t have the heart to wake Kay who was a sleep on the couch in front of the TV. I wrote notes about what we should do. In the morning I reminded Kay to call the fire station He did but was so casual and asked the fire chief to call him back. Panic again. I even yelled at Kay that he should have told the person more on the phone about this problem. He reminded me I should not get upset but to take it easy. I tried to distract myself and got ready for my computer lesson. But my teacher, Wesley called and said he couldn’t come and would come the next day Nervously, I took off to do errands and make pictures of our humming bird at Wal-Mart.


As I pulled into the driveway Kay rushed to me and asked where I had been. He explained about the calls to the fire station and they were too busy, to call back. He finally called 911 and told the dispatcher about the fire danger situation. The fire engine arrived and the driver talked to Kay. The fireman was in contact with the power company and their truck arrived in about 45 minutes and shut off the power to the pole. He said this is an old problem and they had checked this situation a year ago. He called for more help. He reported it to another office to send a man from Sierra Pacific and he came. But no one wanted to take the responsibility for the situation. They explained that this is an old problem. They would try to get the owner to take care of this long overdue problem.

I was not feeling well and the wait was getting to me. I realized I was making my self sick. The snowballing unsolved problem was getting to me. Needles to say, it was impossible to feel peaceful and the” fire fear” attack was taking over. It was overwhelming my good judgment.
Looking back I realized that I had not tried to find a way out of this problem.

Several years ago, Jim Peters, a sociologist, had taught me a way to relax when my thinking was out of control. Jim was working with some of my students in the first grade helped me with my youngest son too. He came to my home after school and tried to help me with meditation. I laid on the couch and he tasked me ito find a picture in my mind of something I liked, maybe some thing out in nature. I did that and talked about the beautiful view out our front window. I had a cool, wet cloth over my eyes. Jim asked me what I was thinking. I described the irrigation ditch, the tall grass on the banks and the fields and trees and the skyline of the mountain in great detail.


Jim stopped me, “ Marilyn, you are painting this picture in your mind. STOP. This is not to be a painting it is only a quick image that you visualize when you are impatient, waiting in traffic for a red light to change. This will train controlling your mind is to let go for a few seconds, to relax your mind so as not to over react and make you ill.”
I had forgotten all about this mind exercise that Jim taught me some twenty years ago.
This picture that I accidentally made of my self in the computer a few weeks ago might be a good image to store in my mind to use when I start down the road of endless panic. I must practice seeing this image so it will be available when I need it.

* * *

“Marilyn, Marilyn come quick the second hummer is standing on the edge of her nest getting ready to leave.” As we watched Zip, we heard the mother zooming in to help her. We backed a few steps away. The mother flew down to her baby and spread her wings in slow motion. They flew off together. Some books say that the mother hummers abandon their nest and the little ones so they must find food for themselves. But not this Mother Hummer.

Kay held me and we said a prayer for our humming bird. We prayed that they would have a long life and a safe trip to migration some 2,000. miles away when winter comes.

Happy Birthday Janette

You were born on June 24, 1958.

Janette's brothers Kevin and Bryan loved me and called me "Jannie Crown".

Janette wouldn't sit still for a picture, so I placed her on top of the television.


Find Jannie Crown in the white shoes.


Jannie's favorite season was winter.

Happy Birthday Janette

Dear daughter Janette. I have fond memories of you when you were born, after two bouncing baby boys, Bryan and Kevin. You were born on June 4, 1958.
We were living in Boston and your dad was going to med. and dental school.
When you were born, everything changed to a different mode. I would whisper softly to you and so did the boys. They gave you the name of “Jannie Crown” and would fight over who was going to take your diaper to the diaper pail that was in the bathroom up stairs.
We all loved our baby Janette.
Back to the present. Kevin and Mari told me about how wonderful it was to have lunch with You and Donny, Jerry and Teresa and Cheryl Lynn and Denise. They laugh a lot about the jumping on the master bed. All is well that ends well. . . .
Anyway we want you to know how much we love you. We are happy about the new make over of your home, it is becoming a real home of your dreams.
I’m behind on making your blog. Maybe in July but don’t hold your breath.

Love is Eternal
Marilyn and Kay
P.S. We enjoyed seeing Denies in the 2009 recital and visiting with the Wilkerson family. glad Melinda could come too.


We are nuts about you Donny. You are a great Dad.

Hummingbirds Zip And Zipper

Humming birds
Zip and Zipper
by Marilyn Johnson
June and July 2009

In the this busy world, summer has come and with it our beautiful gardens. It is a lot of work but we love it. Kay does all the big stuff like cutting the lawns and watering with the irrigation system. He has a healthy vegetable garden getting ready for harvest. I have been busy watering and tending my rose gardens. It is fun to see the clematis and honey suckle vines climbing over our many arches. Now we are looking forward to Grandpa Kay’s 81st birthday evening party. Kay has a few repairs to do on the twinkling lights, and arches and trees so the company can see to eat their cake and ice cream cones. I don’t know who has the most fun the kids, adults or Kay.

The humming birds have a nest near the vegetable garden. This year the mother hummer picked a low branch to build her nest. The nest is about nose high for me and I am able to watch the development of the infant birds progression. The tiny eggs about the size of M and M’s, hatched the day Kay came home from Girl’s camp. This was his 27th year to go as a leader and help them make walking sticks, sharpen knives and have and nature lessons long with teaching about the stars at night. One hummer named Zip flew away on her 18th day of life. But the other one is still in the nest. We finally figured out how to photo her. Included is a portrait of Zipper; the remaining little bird, and she is bound to fly away any day. The hummers are a fascinating tiny bird. They have the fasts wing beats of any bird and their hearts beat up to 1,260 beats per minute. We were lucky to catch this picture that is a beautiful portrait of our hummer, Zipper before she leaves the nest.

Independence Day 2009
Marilyn Johnson

I was surprised and happy when I answered the doorbell early in the morning a few days before the Fourth of July. Two fun loving nine year old twin boys, named Garret and Taylor Gavin, were grinning at me with funny oversized false teeth . They were with their mom Amy Marie to surprise us.

What a wonderful way to celebrate Independence Day. Amy and I take a fun scrap booking class together. Amy had made a red white and blue Independence Day card attached to a bag of, red and white candy.

We proceeded to the back yard. The boys played with our dog Dolly, and had fun on the half painted swing set. Then we headed to Kay’s fish pond to see the new fish he had just purchased. We proceeded to Kay's vegetable garden to see the baby hummingbirds in their nest.
Then they all rushed off to pick up the two teen brothers at their football practice.
It still brings tears to my eyes when I see the Star shaped red white and blue decorated bag of candy.

God Bless America !