I have always been a great lover of music. While I was staying at Mother’s place, I bought a whole new entertainment center. I got the works. A new tape recorder, TV, record and tape player and a lot of records. We got a lot of enjoyment out of it. Mother kept it going most of the time. Then one night, both Mother and Bob were in bed. I was sitting up listening to a show on TV Suddenly from Bob’s bedroom, I could hear strange noises. I went in and took a look. His eyes were glassy. There was a rattle in his throat. I knew that he was dying. I got on the phone and called Ray. Taking care not to awaken Mother. Ray come down and took a look. He agreed that Bob was on his way out. “Call the undertaker in the morning.” he said. Then went home. I was all alone with Bob when he died. I pulled the sheet up over his face and sat by his bedside until morning. Bob was one sweet guy.
Every day Mother was getting weaker. I took care of her the best I could. She seemed to know that her days were numbered and she didn’t seem to care. She was ready. One night, Mother said to me, “Teddy Boy,” she always called me. “I will be leaving you soon and I want to thank you for all the things you have done for me and Bob. I don’t know what we would of done without you. Now listen closely. I am leaving a will. You Cecil, Afton.” Little Afton as we called her. “will all be remembered. You have done so much more than everyone else, so this place will be yours as long as you live. The house and everything in it. You deserve it, Teddy Boy. And let me tell you something else. You are the only one in all my family that hasn’t sometime or other come to me for money. And of course, none of them ever paid it back. My cash is running awful low. Those four big Peterbuilt trucks that Ray bought for Don, cost a lot of money. And that dog track that he financed in Ontario, plus all those greyhounds and the trainers, this all cost a small fortune. Now I have told Ray and everyone else, that this house and everything in it will be yours for as long as you live.” I thanked her and I also told her. “Mother, if you were to pass away and leave me here, Ray would think some excuse to get me out. Also, I don’t think I want to spend the rest of my life here.” There were tears in her eyes. “Yes, I think he would do that alright. But if you leave here, take everything with you. All the furniture, the bedding, the rugs and the drapes, I give to you. Be sure to take them all.” I shook my head. “I will be lucky to get out of here with what belongs to me. You know that.” Mother nodded. “Then there is only one way. I will give you a bill of sale for every item in this place. Then there is no way he can stop you. Everything belongs to me and it is all paid for.”
The next day, I went all through the house and the basement. I made a list of everything. I brought down a notary from Emmett and he made everything real legal. Then one day, Mother collapsed and we rushed her to the hospital in Emmett. In a few days, she died. She was close to ninety. She was a wonderful person.
I had bought me a trailer and had it parked back of the house. It was a nice one. A twenty four foot Terry. Then one day, Jack said to me. “I guess we are going to lay off some of the crew, and you are one of them.” I knew that the next thing that Ray would figure out was an excuse to get me out of that house. I would beat him to it, I decided. I would have an auction. Sell everything… Everything but my car and the trailer.
I took the list and got a hold of a couple good auctioneers. We had a lot of sale bills made up and run ads in all the papers. Then come the morning of the auction. I had most everything piled outside on the big lawn. Then a car drove up in front. It was a deputy sheriff. In his hands were a bunch of papers. He come walking over and handed them to me. “Ted.” he said. “I must serve these papers on you. The administrator of this estate, Ray Dewey, had them all fixed up real legal.” I looked the papers all over. I told the guy, and I was ready for him. “Listen, mister. These papers state that I cannot sell anything belonging to this estate. Correct?” “You are correct.” I took out the itemized, notarized bill of sale from my pocket and handed it to him. “Read that.” I said. There was a strange look on the fellow’s face. He handed the paper back to me. “Don’t look like you are selling anything that doesn’t belong to you. I wonder what in the world Ray is trying to pull.” “You had better ask him.” “But I have already served papers on the auctioneers.” Then I got really tough. “Then you had better unserve them. If you have a part in stopping this auction, you will get sued along with all the rest. Including the county attorney that made this thing out.” The guy took off in a hurry and he took the papers with him. In about an hour, the auctioneers showed up and later we had a good sale. And Brother Ray, never showed his face around there.
I guess that right now, would be as good a time as any to finish telling of our Nicaraguan adventure.
After Dell died, nothing seemed to be the same any more. It was worse than losing my right arm. The lust for adventure was growing dimmer every day. It was several years later before I decided to go down and see how the bus business was going. There could be a lot of money piled up down there. I got a new passport and headed down.
I had been living in my trailer in Yuma, Arizona. I had a good car so I decided to drive down. I believe that was the winter of 72. I didn’t get very far. Just a couple of days drive, I learned from my car radio that the city of Managua was completely destroyed by an earthquake. I turned around and headed back to Arizona. Later, I learned that all the busses went down with it. There was no need of going down there now. This was the end of that.
After we buried Dell, I went to the ranch and paid a visit to Mother and Bob. Bob was in bad shape. Couldn’t even feed himself. Also Mother was failing. She was getting along in years. They asked me if I would move in with them. They both needed my help. I was doing nothing at the time, so I did. Besides there was a few things over here that I wanted to clear up. Number one. Before Dad died, he got to where he couldn’t take care of himself. Brother Cecil got himself appointed guardian and put him in a rest home. There he was well taken care of until he died. Then, as there was no will, Cecil was also appointed the administrator of the estate. Several times, Dad had showed Dell and myself that will. But I guess he had never bothered to record it. He figured that big safe in his bedroom was all the protection it needed. I asked Cecil about that will. He said that when they finally got the safe opened, it was plumb empty.
I can still remember Dad’s words. “Because you two, (Me and Dell) built this for me, (the house). After I am gone, it will belong to the two of you. Along with a sixty foot frontage and a one hundred foot deep. All the rest, including the old house and the store and the rest of the buildings, will be equally divided among you kids.” But the will could not be found. It had completely vanished. Now, finally, the estate was about to be settled. There were bills to be paid. To accomplish this, Cecil decided to sell the new house. Which he did, along with a sixty foot frontage and one hundred foot deep. I often wondered how he happened to come up with these figures.
Anyhow a little later, I got a little money out of the estate. After I stayed with Mother and Bob for a while, I decided to build Bob something that would help all of us. It was hard to get him in and out of bed. That wheel chair Mother had been using, left a lot to be desired. I built one that I designed. It would lay down flat, over six feet long. By lifting the back up, it would make a comfortable chair. It could be lowered as low as a davino, or cranked up as high as a hospital bed and it also had a built in potty. It sure made things a lot easier around there for everyone and gave Bob a whole new outlook on life.
Jack King, Ray’s son in law, was now running the Dewey orchards. Ray, had talked the Mormon church into buying a five hundred acre apple orchard over on the bench. He was running that.
I liked both Jack and Donna. We got along great. When Jack learned that I could do most anything with mechanic tools and welders, he asked me to go to work in the shop. This I did. I stayed there for several years. I took care of both Mother and Bob, until both of them passed away. It wasn’t a very exciting life, but I was quite contented and Mother and Bob were being taken care of.
As usual , I drove a good car. I had an almost new Pontiac convertible. Jet black with red leather seats and what an engine. It would out run anything but a gas station. I loved that car, but it was my downfall. I was going with a cute, little widow in Emmett. Her name was Betty Talbot. It was on a Saturday and just a couple of days before Thanksgiving, Betty wanted me to take her to Ontario, Oregon, to see some friends, which I did.
It was about midnight when we got back to Emmett. There had been some snow on the ground, but it was all gone. At least I thought it was. The sun had been shining all day. Now it had turned off real cold. I had the heater going. I just turned off on to fourth street. Everything looked o.k. I stepped down on the gas. Suddenly, the car began to swerve. Started drifting back and forth. I had hit a sheet of black ice. Here the snow had melted, but the water had not yet dried. Now it was a thin sheet, hard and slick. I hit the brakes, but it didn’t do any good. The last thing that I remembered, I yelled for Betty to get down. We went sailing between two big oak trees and right into the front porch of a house. I can barely remember when the ambulance picked us up.
I was in intensive care for ten days. An oxygen mask on my face, all my ribs were broken in the front, also my collar bone and one leg. I was a mess. Betty had got off lucky. She had several teeth knocked out, a broken jaw, also one busted arm. They let her go home after the first day.
Later when I looked that car over, I wondered how I ever survived. The steering wheel was pushed clear through the windshield. No wonder I was all busted up. I was in the hospital for thirty-one days and most of them were really rough. Lots of spiders and snakes. But something good did come out of all that. Maybe it was all for the best. Since I was just a kid, I had a cigarette habit. Usually about two packs a day. Several times I had made an attempt to quit but hadn’t succeeded.
After I was in there a couple of weeks, I began to get a little better. I could now have visitors. Many of my friends come in and several of them brought me a carton of Winstons. I think that busted ribs, is about the most painful thing that can happen to a person. Especially when they are all broke. I can still hear them grate together every time I took a breath. But now let’s get back to this good part. I had been there about three weeks and was feeling a lot better. I was feeling so good that I wanted a cigarette in the worst way. It had been a long time. Betty was visiting me that day. I asked her for a cigarette and a light. I took a couple of puffs, then inhaled a big one. And that was the last puff I ever took. I began to cough. Every bone in my body felt like it was coming apart. The pain was so great, that I finally passed out. Now I know a sure way to make a person quit smoking.
I could barely get around on crutches when I finally got out of there. Oh yes, I had acquired a new title. THE HOUSE MOVER. The house that I had hit, belonged to a friend of mine, Chick Forria. His folks were living in it at the time. But thank goodness neither of them were hurt. But the house had suffered a lot of damage. Not only was my car in the living room, but the whole structure was six feet off the foundation and the plaster off all the walls.
I had good liability insurance. Soon the house was like new. But it would be quite a while before I would be the same. But I guess it takes a lot to get me down. I bought a two year old souped up Plymouth Fury from the police force. Another bomb. But it sure was a dandy to pull the
trailer around that I would soon buy. Anyhow, that’s how come I quit smoking.
The back seat of all our busses, was reserved for two armed guards. Two soldiers with machine guns. Whenever we passed from one country to another, we would change guards. A new pair from the country we were entering would move in. The others get out. These soldiers not only protected our passengers, but also speeded up the process of passing from one country to another.
For instance; You could get on one of our busses in Guatemala and go clear through to Panama without bothering to get visas for El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua or Costa Rica. Getting permits from all these countries, took a lot of time. We could never of accomplished this without the help of the Nicaraguan government.
Then Bill Gardner went home and I was all alone in that big house. I got mighty lonesome. Always my mind was drifting back to my family at home. I sure missed my kids. I would dream about them. I wondered about Joe. How was he coming along with the big telescope that Dell and I had bought him. How was his hand? He had blown the fingers off the right one while trying to put some device up into orbit. And sweet, little Sandy. By now, she would be quite grown up..
By now, I felt like everything was under control. We had ticket offices in all the big towns or cities that we passed through and of course, the main one was in Managua. A fellow by the name of Brown, one of the Somoza bunch, was in charge. He also ran the travel agency. We now had plenty of drivers and some to spare. I decided I would go home for a while. I dropped Del a card and got in the station wagon and took off. In about two weeks, I was back in Idaho.
There was some bad news. Dad had passed away a few months ago. But there was good news. I had a good visit with my kids. Also, my many friends. It sure seemed good to get back. Somehow or other, that country down there had lost a lot of its charm.
Brother Bob was now in bad shape. The M.S. had taken it’s toll. In a few years, he would join sister Jennie. He and Mother were living together in the Bollinger place. Ray had bought a half interest in the Bollinger place. And of course, Mother owned a half interest in the whole thing.
I guess Ray planned on owning everything. Somehow or other, he would get it. This is how he got half interest in the Bollinger place. He made a deal with brother Bob. It went something like this. They would look after each other until one of them died. When this happened, the remaining one would take over. It seems like everyone that has this terrible disease never gives up. Right to the last minute, they think that they will get well. Someone will find a cure… And Bob was no different.
I had rented an apartment in Boise. I stayed there for a while, doing nothing but loaf. Then one day, Dell and Shirley come home. Boy was I glad to see them. We had a lot to talk about. They still had their house in Boise. I moved in with them.
I reported to him about the bus business. Then it was his turn. The gold mine had fizzled out. So he had got busy on the plantation. Had staked out several ten acre plots and headed for the states. Armed with a bunch of pictures, he would sell them for winter homes to the rich who liked to go south for the winter. But he had almost got into trouble. Selling land is not like selling shares in a mining claim. He found out… This land would have to be appraised and approved by whatever state it would be sold in. If he didn’t do this, he could end up in jail. So for the moment, everything was at a standstill. For a while we didn’t do anything.
Things were happening in my family. Sandy married her long-time boyfriend, Lynn Bunch. They made a lovely couple. Joe had been sent on a Mormon mission to England.
I guess Dell still had the gold fever. A guy by the name of Frank Shinn, a real estate dealer in Boise, had a mining claim up by the old mining town of Pearl. He had driven a tunnel back into that mountain. Instead of finding quartz, he had run into a mixture of minerals that contained fine free gold. It would not even need to be crushed.
So once again, Del had a machine built for recovering gold. He mounted it at the base of that mountain. There was plenty of water in the creek below. A pump was installed and was piped up to the machine. The top of the hill was covered with overburden. It would have to be removed. He rented a big bulldozer and went to work. Not only would he remove the overburden, but also make a deep cut. This way, he would know exactly what was in that mountain. He and Shirley had bought a trailer and moved it close to where he was working. There was just the two of them there.
Mary and I were once more going together. We were having a ball. We would go up to the mine once in a while and take a look. Somehow or other, I didn’t like the set up. I didn’t want anything to do with it. I had just about had my fill of gold mining. Then one morning, I was still staying at Dell’s house, the telephone rang. It was a friend calling from the hospital in Emmett. He said I had better come over. Dell had been badly hurt and wanted me. In minutes, I was on my way.
Here is what happened. That deep cut across that hillside, had slid in. Covering him and the tractor with dirt and rocks. He had been trapped in there for several hours before Shirley finally found him. She ran for help. His body was badly crushed. I think that almost every bone was broken. Either Shirley or myself was at his bedside until he passed away. That was a couple of days later.
This morning, Aug. 27, 1982, as I sit here alone in my trailer in Prescott, Arizona, I try and put all this down on paper with my typewriter…
There is a lot more I could say, but I must quit for now. My eyes are so blinded with the tears, that I can no longer see.
I could write several books, on what took place down there. In fact I did write a couple more. Not about my life, but others and about those country’s. The first one is “Beyond The Bend In The River”. I wrote it first as a first party story. Then changed it a lot and turned it into a second party yarn. I originally named it “The Judge Of Quilali. Now, I think it is a good story.
Then just here recently, I wrote another, “The Love Potion”. It is a yarn about a bulb that is raised down in that country. It does strange things to people.
But as I think back, there are a few more things that I will tell about that happened down there.
Dell, discovered that there was a large plantation for sale near where he was mining. A large banana acreage, owned by the United Fruit Company. They had got rust in the bananas and would be forced to spray for years to come. They had decided to move to Costa Rica. Here, they would not be bothered by this infection. They had over fifty thousand acres for sale, and could be bought for two dollars and fifty cents an acre. This sounded like a real bargain.
“We can make millions.” Del said. “When we get back to the states we will sell it ten acres at a time. A lot of people that don’t like the could winters up there, would pay a lot to own their own winter haven.”
Dell did the buying, we made a down payment and got an option on the rest.
Enough on that subject for right now.
Remember I told you that I was always afraid of getting up high in the air? Airplanes terrified me. Whenever I was forced to ride on one, I would keep my eyes closed until I got to my destination.
Then I got on that maiden flight of The Ann Gauntlit. The big D.C. ten, was coming from Guatemala City, and I was on it. I was the only first class passenger aboard. I got a bottle of rum and prepared my nerves for this long ride. It would make one stop on its way to Los Angeles. I would re-fuel at El Paso Texas. And that is one trip that I will never forget. We were just twelve hours late, when we finally arrived. We were right on schedule, when we stopped to re-fuel. Minutes later, we were once more on our way.
I think I was on my second quart of nerve tonic, when suddenly I couldn’t get my breath, neither could anyone else on that plane. We were thirty thousand feet in the air, and had lost our oxygen. The girls were busy slapping oxygen masks on the passengers. The pilot put the thing in a dive, and down we went. At twelve thousand they opened some windows. Once more, we could breathe. We turned around and headed back to El Paso.
It took several hours to get the thing fixed, but I stayed right on board and got some nerve medicine. Then once more, we took off. By this time I was getting well aquatinted with the crew. Also, I was feeling no pain. Then the pilot made a grave discovery. Where there should o been a green light, there was a red one. This indicated that the landing gear had not retracted properly. We could be in grave trouble.
We turned around and headed back to El Paso. The landing strip was sprayed with foam. If those wheels didn’t come down, we would come sliding in. But Lady Luck or the Good Lord was on our side. We made a perfect landing. They had found the trouble and fixed it. Just a short in the wiring. Nothing serious. Then once more, we were on our way to LA By now it was almost daylight and guess what. The airport was fogged in. We were advised not to land.
For hours we circled up there. I was sure going to be late for Christmas if we didn’t get down soon. Then a voice come over the loud speaker. “Fasten your safety belts. We are about to land.” Someone yelled. “El Paso, I bet.” But we weren’t back in El Paso. And we were not in LA We had landed about fifty miles south of the town of Riverside. There was a Greyhound bus waiting for what was left of the second class passengers and a taxi for me. After that trip, I am no longer afraid of getting up in the air.
We all know how a magnifying glass works. You can be out in the sun on a mildly warm day and use it to concentrate its rays, and in a few seconds you can start a fire applying it to dry leaves.
Now imagine something that does the opposite. Instead of magnifying the light, it diminishes it. This special glass takes the sun’s light, diffuses it and spreads it over a large area so the area appears as a dark shadow where little can be seen.
This correlates to a problem experienced by many seekers. Instead of focusing on one or two important things they can realistically accomplish, they use the shotgun approach, scatter their energies and tackle a dozen different objectives that sound alluring. Unfortunately, this approach usually ends with little if anything being accomplished.
The story of the tortoise and the hare also illustrates this principle. The tortoise is focused, moves slowly, but always onward toward the goal. The hare expends much more energy, but is unfocussed and moves all over the place. As we know the tortoise wins in the end, not because he was better equipped, but because he kept his eye on a single goal and moved toward it without deviation.
This concept of focus is a good principle to apply not only to goals in our everyday lives, but also toward the all-important objective of consistent soul contact. To obtain this objective the seeker must concentrate a large amount of energy, including his consciousness toward paying attention to the Spirit within.
The outward world has many competing voices, fun things to do, and material goals that can distract the inward focus of the seeker. We realize that a certain amount of attention needs to be paid to the outward world, but the successful seeker will learn to live in the world but not be of the world. After he gets the necessities of life mastered he can place many of his duties on an automatic pilot so they can function with a minimal amount of attention. Some can never relax and do this, while others program their computer brains to take care of many activities so their real attention can focus on that which is more important.
The most important lesson concerning focus that the seeker needs to absorb is that he must apply the general principle and direct energies within to maintain consistent soul contact. When he realizes this, then he (and, of course, she) has taken an important step to inner contact.
It is interesting to consider that not only will materialistic things in the outer world distract from the inner focus, but so can the many spiritual sirens who call out for our attention.
Many seekers are enamored by the many spiritual disciplines and teachers available to them and they scatter their outward attention on a half dozen or more. Even though the teachings may direct a student inward, they still come from without; and if the student is trying to master many at once, he will master none as well as have his focus diffused.
This is why many spiritual teachers insist that students focus on only one teacher. This is not because any teacher is infallible, but because they are indeed fallible and any two teachers will give the message in two different ways, even if they are saying essentially the same thing. Only the student with reliable soul contact can sift through many teachers and take the one truth out of the many. Even so, it is a good idea for all to focus on one major area of mastery and learning at a time.
Your assignment today is to reflect on successes and failures in your life and see if you can associate a one-pointed focus with your successes, and a lack of focus having too many things competing for your attention with failure. The chances are that you will see a correlation.
End with this affirmation:
“I will arrange my priorities so I can focus on the Divine Self within me.”
Day 42
I will grade myself today
Irritation and impatience with others is another distraction that forces the attention outward rather than inward. Again, this largely affects the emotional self and is particularly harmful to those seeking the path of soul contact.
Those who do not seek the Path generally have their eyes projected to the outer world and irritability with others is just one more thing keeping their attention there. However, since you are studying this course you are obviously interested in establishing firm contact with the Inner Voice. To do this you must rise above this distraction, and distraction it is. For many seekers it is their major problem.
There are two things about this trait that takes the eye away from the soul. First, the problem is seen as being outside of self, which turn the eyes outward. Second, irritation over the shortcomings of others springs from a feeling of superiority. While it is true that we all have different talents, intellect and ability, we are all equal in potential. We are all children of the One God treading the path to the Presence. We are all on different points on the path, but equal in value.
Having patience with your brothers and sisters is a sign that you feel an equality with them. Their perceived shortcomings may have been your shortcoming not long ago.
Do you want your teachers to lack patience with you and be unreasonably irritated when you are doing your best?
Of course not, so you need to extend the same courtesy to other struggling souls.
Soul energy from the Higher Self is amplified when two or more see eye to eye and work in harmony. Indeed, the words of the Master are true wherein He said:
“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matt 18:20
Irritation with your brother’s shortcomings is the fastest way to chase the Christ out of your midst and take your eyes away from the soul.
Working with others is difficult and the tendency of humans is to have rose-colored glasses concerning themselves and an overly critical eye toward coworkers.
Unrealized is that the impatience and irritation shown to others are usually a bigger detriment to the work going smoothly forward than are the shortcomings of one’s neighbor.
It will often be the case that those in a group who are most irritable with the shortcomings of others are the ones with the greatest problems, and, of all people, these are the ones who need to clean house first before they can accurately see into the heart of others.
The assignment today is to grade yourself on how this distraction affects you.
If you are presently in a state of mind that holds no irritation or impatience as well as being free from grievance over the flaws of others, give yourself an A.
If you are just affected once in a while by real stupidity, give yourself a B
If you think you are about average, give yourself a C.
If you consistently dwell on the shortcomings of others then you need to give yourself a D or F.
Give yourself a grade before you read on…
Now that you have given yourself a grade, find your mate or friend who knows you well and explain this lesson to them and the grade you gave yourself. Ask this person if he or she agrees with your assessment of yourself. If not why?
You may discover that your friend’s assessment of yourself is somewhat different than your own.
Reflect on this, especially if your friend sees you quite differently than you see yourself. Is there more you can do to negate this distraction?
Day 43
I seek for a grateful heart
The seeker who has established soul contact has a grateful heart. Who can have anything but a grateful spirit when he basks in the spirit of inner peace and feels the love, acceptance and companionship of the inner God? A grateful heart is harmonious with the heart of God.
He who understands this will recoil at the thought of ingratitude, even when enduring many troubles in the outward world. He realizes that lack of gratitude casts a barrier between him and his companion soul and losing that companionship is a loss greater than the loss of all he has in the material world.
The wise pilgrim knows the truth of the statement that “all things work together for good to them that love God.” Rom 8:28 He knows that even when he suffers pain and distress, that he is placed in a circumstance where the end will be beneficial if he continues to listen to his inner guidance. Why, then, would he not be grateful in difficult circumstances as well as good ones since all of them are designed for his benefit?
Is not the champion athlete grateful to his coach when he puts him through painful training as well as in parties celebrating victory? If the coach is working for the benefit of the athlete, then his gratefulness and appreciation will solidify their relationship and bind them together as one.
Even so, your Divine Soul is your wise coach, and your constant appreciation will draw the Divine Presence close to you for it will see you as reaching out with grateful heart.
The seeker must seek to not only be grateful to God but to his fellow brothers and sisters as well. Did not the Master say that whatever we do to the least of our brethren we do to him? (See Matt 25:40)
If we therefore show gratefulness to others, we are essentially showing gratefulness to God.
It is easy to be grateful when someone performs a service that we like, but much more difficult if they give a harsh criticism or attack. Even in these circumstances should the person seek to find something about which to be grateful. One way is to see negative people as a part of the whole life experience that allows us to learn, grow and advance.
For today’s assignment first do your best to assess your own state of gratitude or ingratitude. Do you see yourself as more grateful than ungrateful for the ingredients in your present situation? What are the things you are grateful for right now? What is happening in your life to tempt you to be ungrateful or to feel that life is not treating you well?
Seek today to find at least one thing for which you should be grateful, but have not fully expressed or appreciated. Then in the following days add to the list until you can tell yourself that you have a heart full of gratefulness. End your contemplation with this statement:
“I am grateful for all the lessons God sends to me.”
Day 44
I will give glory to God
Jesus made this interesting statement:
“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” Matt 6:28-29
Lilies of the field are beautiful but when we take a closer look at them through powerful microscopes we see that the words of Jesus were true indeed. Each cell in the plant has an internal organization and government that puts Solomon to shame. Even a single strand of DNA within the cell has a complexity that has baffled the minds of our greatest scientists.
Then, concerning the macrocosm, the scripture says:
“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” Psalms 19:1
It is enough to fill the humblest seeker with awe at divine creation to merely look up at the sky on a clear night and contemplate the beauty and vastness of the heavens. But we are fortunate to live in the age of the Hubble and other telescopes that have pierced the heavens and given us pictures that ancient man could have not imagined. Indeed, what we now see verifies the truth of the ancient Psalm.
An important step toward soul contact is to recognize the handiwork of Divine Intelligence in all creation. You would think this recognition would be obvious, but many minds of otherwise intelligent people have focused on excluding anything higher than random chance for the creation of all things.
If you were walking through a forest and stumbled across a laptop computer would you consider that it just appeared there because elements gathered by random chance to create it? No one in his right mind would do this, yet a single cell or a strand of DNA from within a lily of the field is much more complex than our computers.
It is interesting that when scientists do digs in search of ancient man and find what are very crude tools they will never consider that random erosion or shifting of the elements created them, yet they will claim that a living cell, trillions of times more complex was created with no intelligence involved.
There is one thing that science should acknowledge and that is there is intelligence and consciousness in matter.
How do we know this?
Because there are over seven billion humans on this planet who have consciousness and intelligence and they dwell in the matter of a physical body.
Is it not logical then that intelligence could dwell in the body of the universe itself by the same principle?
Not giving recognition and glory to the Creator causes two blockages to soul contact.
First, the person who denies a creator will not even attempt any contact with his Source because of lack of belief. If he does not look, he will not see.
Second, the inner Divinity, though It never deserts us, will not contact the person who does not recognize It.
Soul contact cannot be achieved without the recognition and appreciation of greater intelligence than ourselves.
The more the seeker understands and appreciates God and all His creations, the closer will he be to his own Source, his own soul.
Your assignment today is to merely pay attention to your surroundings. Look for all the beauties and intelligence in creation and exude a sense of awe for the craftsmanship that went into creation. Find a flower, a bird, a leaf, a blade of grass or even a rock and imagine the complexity of its creation. Look at your body, your hands, your feet, your skin, your eyes and try to conceive the complexity of their design. Go outside at night and look at the sky, and sense a universal presence extending through the universe.
Lastly watch this video giving you a perspective of the vastness of creation.
Day 45
I will forgive seventy times seven
Peter was curious as to how far one should go with forgiveness.
“Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, until seventy times seven.” Matt 18:21
Seventy times seven equals 490 times, more offenses than any one person will ever wrack up. This was merely a way for Jesus to tell his disciples to forgive without limits.
A Course in Miracles puts an interesting twist on forgiveness. It says:
“God does not forgive because He has never condemned. The blameless cannot blame, and those who have accepted their innocence see nothing to forgive. Yet forgiveness is the means by which I will recognize my innocence. It is the reflection of God’s Love on earth. It will bring me near enough to Heaven that the Love of God can reach down to me and raise me up to Him.
“He will teach you to remember that forgiveness is not loss, but your salvation. And that in complete forgiveness, in which you recognize that there is nothing to forgive, you are absolved completely.”
The Course puts an interesting twist on forgiveness by telling us that the way to forgive without measure is to realize there is nothing to forgive. This applies to ourselves as well as others.
A lack of forgiveness is strongly associated with grievances, for when an offense is registered and forgiveness does not take place, the person will hold within himself negative feelings toward his brother and, as we said, this creates a barrier to soul contact.
Students who study A Course in Miracles will often agree with the words in theory, but find them difficult in practice. After all, how can one buy into the idea that there is nothing to forgive when people do such hurtful things?
On the other hand, if the seeker can reach that state of mind where he sees nothing to forgive, then forgiving seventy times seven, or infinite forgiveness, becomes a reality.
Let us look at an example to see how the ideal should play out.
Your friend Alex stole $100 from you. Not only did you need that $100, but it hurts your feelings that a friend would do such a thing. You are very disappointed in him.
If someone were to tell you at this point there is nothing to forgive, you may have a hard time believing it, as the $100 was real as well as the hurt you feel by the betrayal of a friend.
To rise to the “nothing to forgive” consciousness the seeker must elevate his thought beyond that which is suffering the hurt, which is the emotional self. The feeling nature feels hurt over this and many other offenses, but the feeling nature is a temporary part of oneself. Our true self, which is one with the inner God, is engulfed in the higher feelings motivated by love. When the seeker focuses on the better angels of his nature, he will look beyond the vulnerable emotional self and dwell in the consciousness of the higher invulnerable self that cannot suffer offense.
Because the seeker in this consciousness cannot be offended or hurt there will never be anything to forgive.
Now switching consciousness from the lower vulnerable emotional self to the invulnerable higher loving self is easier said than done, but it can be accomplished. Like any good endeavor, it takes lots of practice.
And practice we must, for solid soul contact is impossible to one who has not forgiven in his heart and holds a grievance.
And remember, forgiveness applies to yourself as well as to others.
The assignment today is to first review your life and list three offenses that have happened that were difficult to forgive. Do they still have a residual effect? Have you let them go as if there were nothing to forgive in the first place?
Next, examine your present circumstance. Is there anyone who offends you, or that you find aggravating, or is really messing things up? Are you able to place yourself in a state of mind that sees the offense as illusion with no power?
Yes, that may be difficult to do, but it can be done.
During the next few days pay attention to all your interactions in person and on the Internet, and observe how they affect your emotional self. Contemplate any negative feelings that affect your emotional self and say: “ These feelings represent my temporary self. My true invulnerable self sees nothing to forgive.”
Day 46
I will see difficult people as lions
The teaching of letting go of grievances and forgiveness is difficult for many to accept in everyday life. Forgiveness may sound like a good ideal in Sunday School class, but then when one has a real life encounter with someone who does you real harm, reality seems to settle in and many just do not think the perpetrator deserves any forgiveness at all. You suffered so he needs to suffer.
The first thing to realize is that forgiveness does not abolish justice. When you realize that justice will be done even if you do nothing to retaliate, then forgiveness becomes easier.
Let us pick one of the most hurtful things one can imagine. Suppose a criminal killed your child.
If you forgive him does this mean he will not pay for his crime? No. You can let go of your grievance against him, yet still support a reparation for only through some type of payment will he learn not to do it again. It is important to realize that even if he escapes payment through the laws of the land, the laws of karma will catch up to him. Knowing that justice catches up with everyone makes forgiveness easier. Also the seeker needs to look at justice as a means of correction rather than punishment.
“That’s well and good,” says the skeptic, “but there are several people in my life who really deserve punishment before they should even be considered for forgiveness. I just can’t let them off this easy.”
Yes, if a person is holding on to a grievance and just can’t forgive until some punishment is meted out we have a difficult situation indeed. To forgive requires a fresh way to look at the situation
Visualize a visit to the zoo with loved ones and children. A part that always brings enjoyment is the section containing lions and tigers. Does the fact that they may eat you, a loved one, or even a child cause you to have a grievance toward them?
No. You realize that they are dangerous so you only visit them when you have the proper protection.
Let us suppose that a lion escaped and before he was contained he attacked and bit you and you had to have emergency surgery. In this painful condition would you hold a grievance toward the lion? Would you even need to forgive him?
Probably not.
Why?
Because the lion is a wild and dangerous animal when not contained. It is just who he is.
The seeker must apply this Lion Principle to difficult people. This is just who they are. They cause problems when around you, so the best thing to do is look on them as you would a wild animal. Do your best to protect yourself from harm and enjoy them from a distance. If they break through the safety net and attack you, then you are merely dealing with a wild animal. There is nothing to forgive because it is just who they are at the moment.
Most of us are familiar with the famous Las Vegas act of Siegfried & Roy with lions and tigers. They knew the animals were dangerous, did their best to contain them, yet loved them a lot. During a standard act in 2003 a tiger named Montecore grabbed Roy by the neck and dragged him some distance, critically injuring him. As they rushed him to the hospital Roy was heard to say: “Montecore is a great cat. Make sure no harm comes to Montecore.”
Roy not only held no grievance toward the tiger and had nothing to forgive, but he still loved the cat and wanted no harm to come to it.
We must follow Roy’s attitude and apply it to our fellow humans who still have some wild animal inside of them. The instinct to attack is just in their nature and they have not yet overcome the problem. We must do our best to protect ourselves and loved ones from them, yet seeing them as we would a lion helps us to realize there is nothing to forgive, just as Roy saw there was nothing to forgive.
Your assignment today is to visualize the most irritating person in your life. If you think a few seconds a certain person will come to view. As you visualize this person say: “I see the lion in you – there is nothing to forgive. I have complete protection from all harm from you and all other wild animals.”
Day 47
I see the Christ within you and within me
Jesus spoke these words, which have echoed thru the centuries:
“Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matt 25:40
When most people think of this scripture they figure that those described as being in the least category are those down on their luck, like the homeless for instance. While it is important that we see the Christ in people having hard times, the principle extends further than this.
Think for a moment. Who is really the least of the brethren in your mind? Is it the homeless guy or maybe someone who has caused you a lot of grief in your life? If someone betrayed, cheated, or hurt you, then perhaps he is a lesser person in your mind than someone down on his luck.
This puts a whole new dimension on this scripture. Yes, the least person in your mind is that person who has been a thorn in your side and irritates the dickens out of you.
Even though this person may aggravate you to new heights, he is still a child of God with the spark of God within him. If you want to find the Christ and soul within yourself, you must see it within him.
A Course in Miracles calls this person your savior because he is the ultimate test to looking within. If you can look within all others and see the Christ, then you can look within yourself and see Him also.
Does this mean you have to embrace someone who is dangerous or outright insulting?
No. The last lesson on the Lion Principle comes into play here. Just like you can see the positive life of God in a lion but keep your distance, you need to do the same with some people. You can keep your distance from obnoxious people, yet still see the Christ in them and ever be ready to assist them when they are sincere about improving themselves.
Your assignment today is to again visualize the most irritating person in your life, the person who is the least of humanity in your mind and see the Christ in him. Then say these words:
“I am thankful for the opportunity to see the Christ in you so I can discover Him in myself also.”
Day 48
I send goodwill to all
The seeker who passes through the barriers and contacts the inner loving God, must be loving himself. There are thee aspects to love which are:
Goodwill
Friendship
Love
Love is not complete until all three are embraced and practiced.
Today’s lesson is on goodwill.
We seem to live in a world where goodwill is not only lacking but deteriorating. There is an increasing division between the political left and the right, and hatred from both sides is on the increase. To withhold goodwill from a brother or sister because they have different political views is an error in judgment indeed, and sends energy that holds the clouds in place between the seeker and his soul.
If we want to commune with the inner God then we must be like God as Jesus advised:
“for he (God) maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
“For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matt 4:45-48
God gives out the sunshine and the rain to all no matter who they voted for, and we must do the same. And if we just show love to those who think the way we do then we are no better than the crooked publicans in the days of Jesus, for even the worst of us show goodwill to those who accept us.
We live in a time where there is hatred, anger and violence toward others who merely are deemed to have a wrong opinion. Others are trying to limit the freedom to speak anything contrary to accepted mindset. Let he who seeks the freedom of the kingdom of the soul not participate. Where others send hate, you send goodwill. Where others are angry, you be at peace. Where others threaten, you remain harmless.
In the past, religion seemed to be the central cause of division and hatred with many subjecting those with out-of-the-mainstream opinions to torture and death. While there is still some intolerance in religion, the main focus of division has shifted to politics. The reason for this is that governments have become a larger influence over our lives than is religion. Presently, religion for most is something that occurs in the background of consciousness, whereas many are now consistently focused on what government is going to do for them.
If a person thinks that an opposing view will assist in taking away what he wants from government, then he will be tempted to lean toward anger and hate instead of goodwill and love.
The seeker must seek to free himself from the outer gods of Caesar, government and religion and, standing free, he can send forth goodwill to all, for none can interfere with the freedom of the soul.
Your assignment today is to think of those with different opinions than yourself and see them as brothers and sisters. Send them positive thoughts of goodwill.
Now let us be specific. Pick the people who are furthest from your belief system from this list: Presidents Obama or Trump; Rush Limbaugh or Nancy Pelosi; Ann Coulter or Rachel Maddow. You can add to this list if you like, especially if you live outside the United States.
If hate and loathing wells up within you when contemplating some of these people, then that is a sign there is work to do to reach the soul wherein dwells the pure love of Christ.
Practice several times during the day sending goodwill to all no matter how different they may think from yourself.
PS: Be sure to include that irritating neighbor or family member.
Day 49
I extend friendship to all
Friendship is the second quality expressed in the triangle of love aspects.
A good friend is indeed a pearl of great price and will be there for you for life. Many think they have found the love of their life, yet the relationship deteriorates and they separate, but the faithful friend remained. Lovers come and go, but a good friend never departs. This illustrates that when you do select a mate, pick one who will also be a friend. If you have passionate love, spiritual love plus friendship, then you have discovered a great treasure indeed.
Most of us have a handful of good friends who we trust and confide in. Such people make life a little easier and hopeful, but the principle of friendship goes beyond this.
To be a friend of God one must be a friend to all of His children. Now all of us realize that we only have time for a handful of intimate friends with whom we share time and experience, but the principle of friendship extends beyond our close relationships.
To be a friend to all does not involve barbecues and entertainment but it does mean that you are willing to be friendly to all who are willing to accept your extended hand. And like yesterday’s topic of goodwill which is extended to all, so is the hand of friendship.
The seeker who wants to pierce the veil between him and his soul must not look out into the world and divide the people into those deserving of his friendship and those who are not. Extend the hand of friendship no matter what religion, political view or personality flaws they may have.
This doesn’t mean you will spend time with them in a “best friend” situation, but merely means that you are showing a willingness to be friendly.
Now if you extend friendship, or friendliness and they reject you merely because of some personality issue such as who you voted for, then the lack of friendship is on their shoulders, not yours.
A true disciple will be friendly in season and out of season, in times of stress and peace, in times of success or failure. It is our duty as servants to extend friendship and helpfulness to all who are willing to receive.
One may wonder about the wisdom of extending friendship to dangerous or violent people.
It doesn’t matter who they are. We should be friendly to all when interplaying with them, but for some it is wise to keep one’s distance. Again, the lion principle, discussed earlier, comes into play.
Your assignment today is to pick the political person who you loathe the most. Again it could be Presidents Obama or Trump; Rush Limbaugh or Nancy Pelosi; Ann Coulter or Rachel Maddow. Pick someone with whom you disagree strongly. Now imagine meeting this person in a nice restaurant and dining with him or her. Then imagine yourself being very friendly and receiving goodwill in return. Imagine the dinner ending with you both enjoying each other’s company.
Day 50
I will find my brothers
The principle of brotherhood includes not just the male sex but both of them. The word refers to a camaraderie in relationship and has been used by female spiritual teachers as well as males. Female teachers who have used the word inclusive of both sexes include Alice A. Bailey, H. P. Blavatsky, Mary Baker Eddy, Helena Roerich, Annie Besant, and Helen Schucman of A Course in Miracles fame.
Here is a quote from A Course in Miracles:
“The miracle acknowledges everyone as your brother and mine. It is a way of perceiving the universal mark of God.”
A brotherhood is created by a shared experience, belief or thinking and it comes in various degrees. In the broadest sense we are all brothers because we are all children of the One God. Because of this brotherhood we can see even difficult individuals as part of a great family who will eventually find their way home.
Many other brotherhoods exist. A sports team often has great camaraderie and brotherhood as well as a military unit. There is also strong brotherhood in close-knit religions and various groups. There is even brotherhood among groups we may consider evil such as terrorists and street gangs.
Brotherhood is a very cohesive force bound together by shared purpose and experience. Those in the brotherhood understand each other in a way that outsiders cannot.
There is another brotherhood that is not recognized by the masses because it has no visible organization. This brotherhood is composed of those who have a measure of soul contact. Shared soul contact is the ultimate brotherhood experience for most humans.
One who has achieved soul contact can recognize a brother who has had the same experience.
There are degrees of soul contact and a brother can recognize someone who has attained the same degree as himself or less. He can feel the soul stimulation from someone of a higher degree, but there may not be a full sharing or understanding.
Taking this course is a sign that you are reaching out to the soul and spirit within and most probably have felt inner guidance from time to time. This means you have a brotherhood of like minded souls out there who have gone through many of the same spiritual experiences you have.
Your assignment today is to contemplate all the people in your life and let your consciousness rest on those with who you feel spiritually compatible. Think of those who have either stirred your inner spirit because they seem further along the Path or those who are similar to yourself in consciousness. In quiet meditation link up to one, two and then three different individuals and feel the love circulate creating the wonderful feeling of brotherhood.
If you can feel the fires of love you have moved closer to full soul contact.
If possible visit with one of these individuals and renew your friendship.
All the events in this story, all happened in about one year. For the next five years, we were really busy. We were issued a card from that government. We were now citizens of Nicaragua, plus our own United States. So many things happened down there, that I will tell about some. Just hit some of the high spots.
We discovered more gold clear across the continent. We come back and built another gold dredge. Hauled it to New Orleans from Portland, Oregon by truck, then by boat the rest of the way. It was put to work on the Wakie-Was river. Then we started a bus line. We got a franchise through Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and down to Panama City. We bought six used Greyhound busses from that company. They were all in excellent shape. Completely reconditioned. At that time Greyhound was converting to large cruisers. Those big double deckers. We bought a couple of them in Portland, two in San Francisco and two in Los Angeles. Greyhound loaned us one of their drivers, also a mechanic, then we took off down through Mexico.
I could write several chapters on that trip alone. But I won’t. But I will say one thing. By the time we got down there, we were all expert drivers. It was a trip that I will never forget.
When we finally reached Managua, we were greeted by big bands. We were paraded up and down all the streets. That next day we made the headlines of all the papers. The radio was busy. Connie whose real name was, Adailia Mendez welcomed me back by dedicating a song to me… Sabor A Mi. My favorite. Up until this time, I had spent most of my time at the Gran Hotel. At least while I was in the city. But now that we were in big business with the government and internationally known, the brass thought we should have a nice home. A place that we could entertain. Then they found us one that had just recently become vacant. One of the big shots had lived there for a long time. Then he had gone to Mexico City for his health, to a higher altitude. The Refuge, this place was called. It was about eight miles out of the city. Up a steep winding road to the top of the mountain.
The estate consisted of about five acres surrounded completely by a high, steel fence. There was a big gate that was always locked. In a little shack beside it, for twenty four hours of the day, stood two armed guards. Soldiers furnished by the army. Also down by the front and rear entrance to the house was another pair. The place was a regular mansion, surrounded by a tropical forest. It had eight or ten bedrooms, several baths, one large enough for several to get in at the same time. Back of the place, was the servants quarters, several small houses, a housekeeper, two maids and gardener went with the place. Looking to the west of us, we could see the Pacific ocean far in the distance. There was always a cool breeze coming from that direction. It was a beautiful sight. And we had quite distinguished neighbors on both sides of us. On our right, was the ambassador from Great Britain. On our left, the Vice President of Nicaragua. Another member of the family.
We had brought down a Chevy station wagon. We made good use of it. Most every day we went down to the city. Dell and Shirley stayed only for a short time. They wanted to get back to the gold dredge over on the east coast. Bill Gardner, one of our friends that had driven down one of the busses, stayed with me for quite a while. I had brought along my tape recorder and lots of tapes. And boy oh boy did we have some parties at that big house. We got aquatinted with our neighbors on both sides of us. That is the men folks. We never met their women. Don’t know for sure if they had any. But one thing for sure, they liked to play. So did my friend Bill. And it didn’t take him long to find his way around. When we thought it was about time for a party, I would send a note with one of the guards, to both my neighbors. In turn they would invite their friends. Men only. Bill and one of the guys would go to town and pick up a bus load of girls from the city and we would throw a party. Nicaraguan style. One to remember. There are about twelve women to every man in that big city and most of them lookers.
But it wasn’t all play. We had plenty of troubles. Breaking in drivers that could handle those busses was a problem. A lot of those people could only drive an ox cart. Then that big volcano in Costa Rica blew up. It would make that one in the state of Washington look like some kind of a toy. Down there is volcano country. Also many earthquakes. There is nothing like a good earthquake to get them going.
Back in the thirties, Managua was completely destroyed when old MOMBO TOMBO blew up and poured molten lava all over it. Usually from any high position, you can see at least four or five of them smoking away. Just waiting for something to get them going. This big one in Costa Rica, was putting down a couple of inches of ash on the city of San Jose every twenty four hours and had been doing this for some time and no relief in sight. Our busses run into that city twice a week. The ash was falling so fast that we had to run with our lights on. Keeping the mess cleaned up was quite a problem. Bull-dozers scraped the stuff off the streets and highways. The water and sewer systems in the city were plugged and contaminated. For miles around the coffee trees were covered completely. It looked like the city was doomed. Also the country. People were leaving by the thousands.
We wouldn’t have many passengers going in but sure had a full load coming out. And there was lots of looting going on. One day I decided I would go along and take a look for myself. I sat up beside the driver and we took off. We kept those busses real neat and clean. Instead of a big Greyhound on each side, we had a big jaguar. El Tigre lines. We called ourselves. It was late in the evening when we arrived at that once beautiful city. Now it was really a mess. I got me a room at a nearby hotel and went looking for a restaurant. We would be here all night and return tomorrow. I had a couple of drinks and a good meal. Then I headed for my hotel. As I walked slowly down that street through that falling ash I kept looking over my shoulder. A small taxi was creeping up slowly behind me. Then I was in front of my hotel. The big iron sliding gates were closed. I could see the clerk inside. I grabbed those steel bars and rattled the thing. The clerk got up and started toward me. But he was not in time. Three guys jumped out of that taxi and come at me on the run. In the hand of one was a big knife. It was him that I concentrated on. I hit him square in the mouth. He dropped the knife and staggered back. Then fell flat on the cement. Then the other two were on my back. They grabbed my arms and pinned them behind me. Then one reached into my pocket and pulled out my pocket book. The one on the pavement got up and the three of them took off on the run. The taxi had disappeared. And in it’s place, drove up a police car. Two policemen got out and come walking over. The clerk inside had called them. “What’s the trouble?” one of them asked. I told them what had happened. I had been robbed. “Did you see where they went?” one asked. “And can you describe them?” I pointed down the street. “They ran down that way. I am not sure, but I think they went into that last door at the end of the block. They were three young guys. And right now, one of them has a mighty sore mouth. I landed one good one.” The guys nodded. “I think we know where to find them. That place you pointed out down the street, is a hangout for such trash. So if you will come along and identify them, we will put them under arrest.”
We walked up a long narrow stairway and into a large room. It was bar and several people were standing there. Several painted women, also my three attackers. What made me certain, was the one that had blood all over the front of his shirt and also had a very large set of puffed lips. I pointed to them, “There is the ones.” They were put under arrest and searched. My pocket book which had contained about fifty dollars, was not there. Naturally, they had got rid of it.
Up at the restaurant, I had just cashed a fifty dollar traveler check to Costa Rican money. This and a little change was what they had got away with. And this was just about the amount of money they had on hand. Equally divided among the three of them. But they had overlooked one thing. My book of traveler checks. It was still be able to pay my way. The two cops took the four of us up to the police station. The sergeant or whatever he was, fingerprinted us all. Then he pushed a paper in front of me. “If you will sign this complaint, we will put them in jail and hold them until they are tried.” I signed the paper. I guess I shouldn’t have. The next thing I knew those three bastards signed a complaint against me, for false arrest. And so, we all ended up in jail. Two or three days later, I was offered a deal. Drop the charges, and the others would do the same. Then we would all be released. I was sure glad to get out of there. It made me appreciate just how much it meant to live in the good old U.S.A.
It was shortly after this, that Helen and I decided to call it quits. I won’t go into any of the details, this is something that I don’t like to remember. I think that summer working outside taught her something. She decided to find herself a job and go to work. And this she did. She got a job working at the Ore Ida plant in Ontario Oregon. Several other women from this area worked there. They took turns driving. Helen joined up with them. She rented the Fisher place at Letha. Her and Joe and Sandy moved in there. And another thing, Helen quit drinking, also smoking and also started going to church. For this, I was glad and very thankful. I moved over to Boise and rented a small house and began to look around. I must figure out something to do.
Early that next spring, I went into business for myself. I understood irrigation. I went into the lawn sprinkling business. I had been called many things. But this one, I tacked on to myself. THE RAIN MAKER. I would put in underground sprinkling systems. A lot of them completely automatic. I hired a young fellow with a strong back. I did all the selling and the supervising. We kept mighty busy. And I was making nothing but money.
That summer I met Mary Bower. A pretty grass widow, who worked at Albertson’s big store at 16th and State. She was a checker. She had three children. A boy and a girl that had just recently married and a young boy about eight years old, Little Johnny. Mary was a great fisherman. Every weekend, we would take off for the mountains. We had lots of fun together.
Dell had sold his new house in Boise and had built another. It was a nice place on Greenbriar. Dell and Lillian were also having family trouble. It always seemed to me that when you pass forty, this is a very dangerous age. I guess people just sort of get tired of each other. Wonder what it would be like to go to bed with someone else. There is an old saying, Life begins at forty. For sure, a new life for a lot of people. Including myself. I hadn’t wanted it that way but that was the way it turned out.
Lately, brother Dell had shown a lot of prosperity. He had a big brand new Olds and had bought one for his new girlfriend, Shirley. It seemed like he had money to burn. One day he come to me. “Ted.” he said. “I got something going. And I want to let you in on it. We have always been partners.” Then he told me quite a yarn. There was supposed to be a ton of gold floating around somewhere. And it could be bought for about twenty dollars an ounce. Leaving a net profit of twelve dollars an ounce. I had heard this story many times. It was supposedly stolen gold. A lot of people were looking for it. A ton of gold was worth a lot of money. Even at thirty two and ounce, it was worth around a million dollars. I asked Dell. “And have you located the ton of gold?” He grinned and shook his head. “No, I haven’t located it yet. But I have been running down a lot of leads. I got some guys that will put up the money to buy it. After I get it located.” Then he went on. “I have followed every lead that I have heard of. I have been from Butte Montana, all of Idaho, Nevada and Utah. I haven’t located it yet but I did find something else.” “And what was that?” He grinned. “I found a couple of guys that have some gold for sale. It is a heavy concentrate mixed with other heavy material. These guys have very important positions in one of the big refineries and don’t want to sell it themselves.” His grin got bigger. “They say they might be accused of stealing it.” I laughed. “And how much have you got rid of already?” “About twenty thousand dollars worth. I get half.” Now I understood all this recent prosperity. “How much of it have they got left?” “I don’t know. They only give me so much at a time. They let me have it on consignment. But they say there is plenty more.” “And why are you telling me all this?” I asked. Then Dell told me his plan. “Gold is gold. And can only be traced by the impurities in it. This that they consign to me, can be traced back to where it come from by the other elements in the concentrate.” “So what do you do about that?” “Pan it down to where there is mostly gold left. Then mix in some black sand that is entirely different. Then it can’t be traced.” “Why are you telling me all this?” “Because.” he said. “To play it safe, I got to have a mine. A place that it could of come from. Make it sound real legal. Also pay income on the stuff. I don’t want to get the government after me. All you got to do, is oversee the mine and work it a bit. Pan the gold, get rid of most of the concentrate and add the new. I will do the rest. We split the profit. Do you want in?” Well right now, I think I have said enough about this. For most of the rest of this story, you can use your imagination. You will probably come up the right conclusions. Anyhow, for the next few years, I made quite a lot of money. I added a new title to my company, The Bench Dredge and Sprinkler Co. I took Dell in as a full partner.
All of that upper Boise bench, was up for bids to install an underground sewer system. M.K. Co. Put in all the main lines. We did most of the hook-ups. We were real busy. Then Dell and Lillian got a divorce. Shortly after, Dell and Shirley were married. Now there was one sweet gal. One in a million, that is for sure.
In the spring of 1960, we finished putting the sewer. Then Dell got a wild brainstorm and got in his car and headed for Central America. And didn’t stop until he was in the city of Managua Nicaragua. He was gone for over a month. Mary and I were still going together. She didn’t like standing behind a check stand all day and wanted something of her own. So after her trying a few other things, I built her a child care center just out of Vista. Also I painted her house real pretty. Then Dell come back from south of the border. Yes, about four thousand miles south. He had quite a story to tell. I will cut it as short as I can. It went like this”
The new Pan American Highway, was just being completed through those Central American countries. A car could now be driven clear through to Panama. Since the beginning of our American history, those countries were noted for having lots of gold. The Spaniards had sent boat loads of it back to Spain. And now for the first time in history, these countries were being opened up to the machine age. Time for the gold dredge to go in. Those natives had only used gold pans and sluice boxes. Most of the gold was still for the taking.
Dell was never one to start at the bottom. He went right to the Presidential Palace in Managua Nicaragua. To the Somoza family themselves. He told them he would like to bring down a gold dredge. They took him in like a long, lost brother. He was like one of the family.
“The deal is all set up.” Del said. “You fly down there and find a good spot to set up a small dredge. I will have one built.” Then he grinned. “It will take a lot of money to get going. I will raise what I can.” So we would both be busy. I got a bottle of nerve tonic, got on a plane and took off. I was gone about six weeks. Six memorable weeks. But I had found a spot to set up the small suction dredge. I reported to Dell what I had found. He was all smiles. We bought a new motor home. A Sport King. A beautiful job mounted on a Chevy truck chassis. Down there, we would be the King of Sports. We called it, The Palace. Then we made more plans. We would find someone to go with me, and I would drive it down there. This would assure me of a nice place to live while I was south of the border. When the dredge was completed, Dell would come down and join me. It was being built in Portland Oregon. From there, it would be brought down by a steam ship line. Mary wanted to go along. She liked the pretty new motor home, and she loved to travel. She told me. “Take me with you. I can do all the cooking.” I didn’t think she would be happy down there. I told her no. “You give me something to work with, then pull out. If you really cared for me, you would take me along.” I should of known by now, pretty women don’t like to be left alone. I told her, if everything went well, I would either send for her or come and get her. I thought that it was for the best. We found a guy that wanted to go down with me. A young fellow from Nampa. His name was Chuck Saltz. We got all our medical shots, our passports and we were on our way.
Several months later, when I returned home for a visit, I wrote my first story. I called it, THEY ALWAYS SMILE. I had kept a diary. From this, I wrote the story. I changed our names from Dewey to Parker. Mary to Maria. And our residence from Boise to Reno Nevada. I was advised to do this by an attorney. “You would be sticking your neck out.” he said. “If you don’t do this, you might get the thing published. You would be leaving yourself wide open.” I took his advice. At that time, I didn’t know one key from another on a typewriter. I got a professional typist to put the thing on paper. I never tried to get it published. Every once in a while, I dig out a copy and read it. It sure brings back a lot of memories. So basically, the story is all true. Taken from my diary. So that part of my life down there, I will not write about. I have already done that. Maybe in places, I did flower it up a bit. And in others, I toned it down. But the story itself, is true. So if you happen to have a copy of the yarn, it would fit right in here.
We stayed in Boise for a year or so. I spent one of those summers up at Granger Washington, working for a logging company that was cutting cottonwood on the river. I worked as a mechanic and welder, taking care of all their equipment. It was hard to find a job for me in the winter time. A bad back is sure one big handicap. The last winter we were there, I went on the road selling advertising. It didn’t work out so good.
I had sold my Golden Hawk and was driving an old Pontiac. It caused me a lot of trouble. The sand plant over at Emmett had sure gone to pot. Their sales were way down. They sold a lot more stock in the company, then finally sold out to Del Monte. For Dell and my share, we ended up with only a few thousand dollars. But I guess we were lucky to get anything. We were on the right track alright. That plant today, plus that mountain of sand, is worth millions.
We moved back to the Emmett Valley. There was an extra little house at the Harwell ranch. We moved into that. At least we would be close to Stan and Gertrude. Brother Cecil and his brother in law Vern Leighty had just planted a young cherry orchard. I told them. “I will take care of your orchard this summer, for the use of the land between the rows. I will keep it cultivated and irrigated. I will raise watermelons and cantaloupes in between.” It sounded like a good deal for both of us. This was something that I could handle. I planted it all. About fifteen acres. We had a beautiful crop coming on. Helen did most of the irrigating, I did the cultivating. She loved to work outside. She was the kind of a woman that needed something to do.
Then one day along toward the end of July, disaster struck. We were just about to begin to harvest the crop, when Cecil and Vern dusted their prune orchard, which was on the west side of this field. The prunes had got mites on them and they dusted with sulfur. A breeze was blowing from the west that day and the melons also got dusted. That next day, they were a sad looking sight. The vines were curling up. The whole patch would be dead in a few days. I began to look around for the cause of this. Then I picked up one of those sulfur sacks that was lying on the ground. And right there in front of my eyes was the answer. CAUTION, it said. DO NOT DUST AROUND CUCURBITS. Then there was more. This stuff would kill the vines of any of the cucumber or melon vine. And it took very little of it.
Helen and I were surely disappointed to say the least. We showed the patch to Cecil and Vern, also the empty sack and the warning. I guess they realized what they had done. Cecil said, “We carry insurance. I guess it’s about time that we found out whether or not it is any good.” They called their insurance man. He come and took a look. He shook his head. “A lot of different things could cause this.” he said. Then refused to pay any damage.
Both Cecil and I went to different lawyers. We both got the same answers. Cecil and Vern were well protected. But I would have to file suit and take it to court. Cecil and I both understood. We shook hands and said. “See you in court.” I began to strengthen my case. I called the county agent and had him look the patch over. He knew what this dust would do. I found another fellow that had killed his own patch by dusting trees close by. I found a neighbor that had a small patch of melons. We dusted a few vines and waited. The next day, they began to wither and die. When the thing finally come to court, the jury wasn’t out five minutes. I won the case. But the insurance company still wouldn’t pay off. They stalled. They said that they would take it to a higher court. Finally we offered to settle for less money than we had been awarded. We didn’t come out with as much as we would have made if the patch hadn’t got ruined, but after the
lawyer got his cut, we still had a pretty good chunk of cash.
The new Kitty Kat factory would be in Mountain Home. A small town about forty miles south of Boise. We turned the deal over to them completely. Let one of them be called this awful name. I preferred the old one that had been tacked on me. THE SAD SACK, WITH THE BAD BACK.
There are a few more things that come to my mind that I should tell about before I move on with the story. Some more things that happened back in Emmett.
Before we left there, Gertrude and Stanley were married. They were very much in love and I was sure they would go a long ways together. They made a lovely couple. Our boy Bill has always been a hard one for me to figure out. He always was and still is, an independent cuss. Wants to live his own life.
When he was sixteen, he joined the Paratroopers. Forged his birth certificate to eighteen and in he went. After about a year or so, he got tired of that branch of the service. He decided he wanted out. Finally he made it. Proved that he was still only seventeen. After he become eighteen, he once more went back into the armed service. This time a different branch. He and Dell’s boy Phil, were great buddies. They made quite a pair. I don’t think they fought any more after that time back on Pumpkin Ridge. They were full of mischief. Back when they were in grade school over in Emmett, they pulled one that I will never forget. I will tell about it.
There was an old boy by the name of Katz that lived close to the big canal. He was real old and I guess he was alone and had nothing to live for. He decided to end it all. He wrote a suicide note. Took off all his clothes, laid his pocket book and false teeth on the ditch bank and jumped in. On their way to school, Bill and Phil, found the things that he had left. I don’t think they bothered to read the note, they just divided up the spoils. Mainly the pocket book with a few dollars in it and the false teeth. I never learned exactly how they decided who got what, but Bill ended up with the money and Phil, with the false teeth. Phil gave the choppers a good scrubbing with the ditch water and sand, then tried them in his mouth over his own teeth. I guess he really looked horrible. With these, he would have a lot of fun. That day in school, whenever the teacher would turn her back, Phil would slip the teeth in his mouth and grin at the rest of the class. Some of the girls would scream. He got by with this for a while, then the teacher caught him. She took the teeth and threw them into the incinerator. Phil confessed as to what happened. He and Bill were sent to the principal’s office. He called Dell and me. And poor old Katz was buried without his teeth.
