Literary Things to Share~~~~~~~~

favorites along the way~~~~~~

Thomas Jefferson was quoted as saying something to the effect of, "He who knows most knows best how little he knows"

"Grief can take care of itself, but in order to get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it up with."

According to Helen Keller:

"Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within."

Tennesse Williams:

"Don't let the future scare you."

I PUT MY HAND IN YOURS

And together we can do what we could never do alone!
No longer is there a sense of hopelessness,
No longer must we each depend upon our own unsteady will power.
We care all together now, reaching out our hands
for power and strength greater than our own.
And as we join hands, we find love and understanding
beyond our wildest dreams.
and as we reach out to you,
we truly hope you will take heart.
It cannot be seen but it can be felt in the heart.
It is a bond of Brotherhood between one and another which clearly says:
I care, I put my hand in yours and now you are not alone.
SOAR Newsletter,l990


L.B.Johnson:

"Tomorrow is ours to win or lose."

She was a grand lady indeed,in every way possible. There were many that admired her. Many more would like to have walked in her world. She was thirty-three when I was born. Having never married, and my being the first girl in the family since her own birth,I quickly became the apple of her eye. Little did she know that most of my life would be spent with her. Very early in my life,both my parents were off to help in the navy yard during the war years. She prided herself on taking the best of care of my brother and myself. Later,I went to live with her and my Grandpa. My own Father being sick and my Grandpa just losing a leg, it seemed the thing to do. Years passed, and I was back and forth between the two homes.
She taught school for 47 years ... sixth grade most of the time. She was a very strict teacher. After retiring, she worked at the church another 11 years. She lived to be ninety-one and was very alert until the hour she died. Here is a tribute to her. A poem which she wrote and said someday when she got "around to it" she would like to see it published. There are other poems as well, but this one tells the story of her life as she saw it. Oh, and I found her a round "tuit"....

Autobiography:by Ossie Setzer

In retrospect the years pass by. I examine each with a wistful sigh.
There were the carefree days of childhood
Playing with friends and romps in the woods
The approving smile of my gentle mother
The birth of three boys, my baby brothers
The long, long treks to church and school
The tedious practice of the golden rule
Father's constant moving from place to place
Seemed to me an extravagant waste.
I attended seven different schools
Trying to adjust to each ones' rules
It seemed like running an endless race
This being tossed from place to place
Just about time we'd take root
We'd pull up stakes and a new place salute.

Then came the turbulent years of youth
An endless search for love and truth
As a fledgling tries its trembling wings
I, too, must see what life would bring
Standing at the threshold of life's career
I stripped myself of all veneer
Down deep inside I found a gift
Which I must use some load to lift
Very soon it was plain (for me) to see
What Nature intended that I should be
With conscience clear and spirit free
I left my home in twenty-three
My work began in a school with one room
Forty-nine pupils, a stove, and a broom

There came a time when circumstances
Brought about some real romances
The sheer joy of love in the spring
Brought heaven as close as the rustle of wings
Each showed his charm in a unique way
Without any show or great display
I wondered what life with each might hold
How our love together might unfold
Looking them over and thinking twice
I knew I never could pay the price
Each went his way and I went mine
Never could we our love entwine
But still I find somewhere in my heart
That each one holds a place apart
Smoldering embers burst into flame
As again I hear them speak my name

The thirties and forties were interesting years
Lots of hard work and quite a few tears
Mother's long illness and struggle with cancer
And the futile search to find an answer
Dad's heart attack and leg amputation
Put him in a wheel chair for the duration
But life was not all sadness and grief
Time's a great healer and it brought relief.
But life was good and the years sped by
With Tender memories and sometimes a sigh

Now,lessons are over; my books put away
Reports are all in, I'll call it a day
With reluctant steps I turn toward home
Leaving many friends that I have known
I will hold forever in my mind
Two thousand pupils I left behind

And now that I'm retired and free
I wonder what life still holds for me
There are so many things I want to do
Will time run out before I'm through?
I worked at the church as a volunteer
With no thought of staying eleven years
The environment was pleasant
And the work was interesting
It gave me a feeling that I was ministering
Secretaries and associate (Pastors) came and went
And I worked on happy and content
The pastor was a source of inspiration
A Perfect example of dedication
A true sheperd who served his flock
With love and devotion around the clock
He had the rare gift of making each one feel
That he was special and his worth was real

This situation came to an abrupt end
When I broke my hip and became a shut-in
I spent five months in Brian Center
Punctuated by three stays in Frye Medical Center
Now I'm living alone at eighty-nine
With a pacemaker which is working fine
What will the next bend in the road bring
I've learned to expect most any thing

As I face the evening of life's long day
The cares of the past all melt away
My soul is bathed in a mellow ligh
As a sunset glows before the night
As the shadows lengthen into grey
I'll fold my work and put it away
Then lay me peacefully down to rest
Knowing full well I've done my best
As darkness steals across the deep
I'll be ready for that long, long sleep

Miss Ossie L. Setzer,1904-1995
Miss Ossie, as she was so fondly called by many who knew her, spent her last eleven months in a Nursing Home having to finally give up the freedom of living alone in her own home.


#404~~Si! Homero, he will tell rest of the story. My English,it not be so good? I come from Mexico to here 65 days ago to live with Miss Norma. She is good to me. She, how you say - uh -adopt-ed me? I live very good life here with her. I tell you rest of story of big truck. Just listen.
Well, senors and senoritas just remember the GMC was stolen in Virginia and wrecked in D.C. It was supposedly "fixed" in Maryland. Of course, Miss Norma had her doubts!

Well, just as soon as she saw it was back she called her cousin, who is a top-notch bodyshopman to go have a look at it. It wasn't long until he called back to say,"You got problems, severe problems. There is no way on Earth I can see that anybody can drive that truck down the road safely!"
"The only way it could possible be fixed would be a truck place. I know I don't have the equipment to do it."

Would you believe! The Insurance adjuster called the very next day - bright and early - to say he has seen the GMC and he isn't happy with the work done and to please come on down to his office to total it. He felt that considering how long they had been without a vehicle it would be in their best interest to total it.
Within a few hours, that GMC Surburban was totaled, the check written and all was finished. The agent said in the meeting that it was so bad he didn't even want her to see it. He also added that he knew now that our folks were trying to tell him something was not going right.(She had to say that she parked outside right beside it, because she could not settle a claim on something she knew nothing about.) She also told him her cousin (who he knew of) had passed his verdict as well. To the best of our guesstamation that company probably ended up spending around $15,000 on that one claim! Last we heard it was sent back to Virginia too get settled up there.

Are you curious about how it looked? Well, Senors and Senoritas, by now you could believe anything, right? The Regional Claims Office actually sent a letter notifying that the claim was settled in a timely fashion and reaffirming that all was satifactory. Of course, Senorita Norma had to reply to that one!

"Sirs: After 100 days at the body shop the work was not satisfactory. The frame was bent. The right front wheel was out from the body of the truck. The left front wheel nearly touched the back of the wheel box. None of the doors would close properly, The dent which was made in the right door was popped out roughly, scratched and not at all fixed back to narmal. The left fender was one that was obviously banged up previously on another vehicle.(It quite noticeable where it had been worked on.) Paint did not begin to match the rest of the truck. The paint also had trash and leaves in it. Also, it looked like iron filings had rusted on top of the "new" paint job.
The left side of the truck sat down over an inch lower than the right side. The spare tire was put on the right front. (That is still a puzzle because the original tire was on it in the pictures. The only flat was the left front.)An entirely different tread was on the left front. Looked like a used tire had been picked up for it. Being a four-wheel drive, it's important to run a matched set on it.
A "beautiful" neon "purplish" pin stripe replaced the bright blue one that was on the rest of it. It overlapped the original pinstripe at the back corner of the left side! We did not even open the hood to check the engine, air, etc! I hate to image what was or was not there. It was totaled by the local Claims Office. Apparently, the body shop reported that the claims representative handling the claim would only allow them to patch up the vehicle."

So ended The Saga of The Stolen Surburban - or nearly. Last we heard it was shipped back to Maryland. Then a District Attorney from D.C. called to say that the eighteen year old pled guilty to taking and wrecking it. The very last we heard was in October,1997, and the DA was going to try and get some re-embursment for the time spent without a car to drive ... ER,Er,er - June,1998, - She just got a letter from a Washington,D.C., Lawyer that a suit may be filed to sue for damages from whomever. The letter was very indiscreet as to what may happen. Who knows what is next!!!


Here is a little email ditti you can share with others:

I cannot build a Mountain
Or catch a Rainbow fair,
But let me be what I know best
A Friend that's always there!

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©1997 - 2002 by Stormy Jeanne
Some of the quotes I have paraphrased. Credit has been given on credit pages. If I have omitted any let me know.

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