Y 2 K

           Y 2 K EDITORIAL Jan 2000 

   Well since Grandpa is the so-called editor of this family newspaper I am taking the opportunity to editorialize a little.

   A couple of things are for sure. If you are sitting somewhere reading this, then we know the world did not end in January 1^st, 1999. We also know that the postal service must still be functioning. If you have lights on to read with, then we also know that the power plants did not all shut down?

   The “doomsayers” will really be disappointed if nothing happens at the end of the millennium. We have been told a lot if things are going to or MIGHT happen. They range from the ridiculous to the sublime. A short list of what has been envisioned in the news media; the past few months are listed here so we can look back and laugh or read it and wonder why we did not take it more serious?

          1.The World will come to an end.

          2.All the power plants will shut down and we will have no power.

          3.All the sewage plants will spew raw sewage into the streets of the cities.

          4.No power=No gas pumps, no electric stoves, no lights, no traffic control, no             computers, no freezers or refrigerators –(and on and on and on?)

          5.Terrorism. (I think this might be one that could be a reality.)

          6.Computer problems. (Another definite possibility.)

          7.At midnight all the airplanes flying by computers will fall out of the sky.

          8.All ships will have no navigational controls.

          9.We will not be able to buy groceries because their computers will not work.

          10.No prescriptions for the same reason.

          11.Water plants will shut down and we will have no water to drink.

   Now back to common sense and a little reality. First, if number one on this list happens we will not have to worry about any of the others! However if we just make a little preparation, as we have been told as a Church, we should not have anything to worry about. I think I will listen to a Prophet and the other leaders of our Church rather than the doomsayers of the press and media.

   President Hinckley responded to some questions about the upcoming Millennium in the December 11^th issue if the Church News. He said, among other thinks that, “I am excited. The very concept of being present to step over the threshold of one Century to another and from one Millennium to another is for me a wonderfully exciting thing. I just feel fortunate to be able to do that.” This does not sound to me like a person who expects the world to come to an end on January 1^st.

   He also said that in the 21^st Century he expected, “progress, growth, strengthening and a larger membership.” He also said, “If the members will live the gospel, nearly everything else will take care of itself.”      W.R. Baldwin

   I was cleaning out some “stuff” in my old desk and run across this. My first thought was, “has it really been 15 years since all this was going on.” We had a little family newspaper at the time and I wrote this (half in jest and half really questioning.) I can remember it like it was yesterday. There were special editions of newspapers printed, special documentaries on TV and of course a lot of people just talking about it.

   It has been a wild ride for those last 15 or 16 years. Reading this stirred up a lot of memories for me and I thought it might for others who read my blogs.

   I love going on reminiscing & memory trips.

Wallace R. Baldwin

30 Dec 2015

ANGELS I HAVE SEEN

ANGELS I HAVE SEEN?

   He was not very old. I would guess about eight or nine years. He was sitting on the edge of the reflecting pool, near the Temple, and making little riffles in the water with his finger. I had been watching him a little while. He seemed to be waiting anxiously for someone.

   After sometime I decided to walk over and talk to him. As I approached him I asked him if he would mind if I sit by him a few minutes. He told me no that he did not mind; in fact he thought it would be nice.

   I sat down and he pointed to a couple that were a little ways away and told me that was his Mom and Dad and they were visiting with some old friends they had not seen for a long time. He had told them that he would rather sit by the reflecting pool than go over with them and listen to OLD people talk.

   He asked me if I worked here and I told him no, not really, I was just here to spend some time in the Temple. I explained as best I could what it meant to “attend the Temple.”

   We were talking and a nice looking lady walked up and asked if we would mind if she sat by us. She had striking black hair and a white dress that was so white it almost sparkled.

   I told them I had to leave anyway because my wife would be here in a few minutes to get me. I thanked them for visiting with me and left.

   After I had left the boy stared at the lady, for more than a few minutes, and finally she said,”are you Ok or can I help you with something?” He looked at her and said, “May I ask you something?” She answered that of course he could. She was quite startled when he asked her if she was an “Angel.”

   At first she was not sure how to answer, but she finally told him that her name was Angela, but some people in her family called her Angel. 

   He told her he sure would like to talk to a real Angel; because he had a lot of things he wondered about that OLD people did not seem to want to talk about. He told her he knew she was OLD also because she looked about 30. She kind of giggled and asked him if 30 was really old. He told her yes it was, but she was pretty, so if she was 30 she must be a young 30.

   Then Angela suggested he ask her the questions and told him she would try to answer them, and if she could not, she would try and find someone who would?

   Then she said, “First do you have a name?” He told her his name was Thaddeus, but everyone called him Thad. The reason it was Thaddeus was that was also his Grandpa’s name.

   So Thad told Angela his story:

   I had a baby Sister that died when she was just a few days old. Everyone tells me it is OK because she now has gone to live with Jesus. But when my Grandma died they told me she had gone to live with Jesus also. And when my Uncle Steve died they told me that he had gone back to live with Jesus also.

   Well now I am glad they have all gone to Heaven to live with Jesus, but where is that? Some of the older people say Heaven is up in the sky and some say it is right here on earth, but that we just cannot see the people? In fact some people say that my baby Sister may be right in that Temple over there?

   Sometimes I think I feel my baby sister right here by me--- do you think that is possible? Sometimes that is hard to understand.

   My Grandpa tells me that we may not all be together right at this time but we will sometime in the future. I think that is right, but I sure hate to wait a long time to see them.

   Well Thad and Angela talked for quite a while. She answered most of his questions. She told him, that it sure was possible that he might feel his baby Sister’s spirit with him at times. He probably will not see her but she may visit him quite often.

   She also convinced him that his Sister really could be in the Temple if there was a reason for her to be there.

   Angela talked to him about having good friends and about going to Church. He told her he had been Baptized in his Church. He told her he hoped his big Brother would go on a Mission for his Church, so he could tell him what is was like when he was old enough to go.

   After while Angela stood up and said. “Oh, Oh I have to go, here comes my Angel Husband.” She hurried off around the reflecting pool.

   Well just as she left, here came Thad’s Mom and Dad. They asked who the lady was that he was talking to. He told them it was not really a lady, it was an Angel.

   They all turned to look in the crowd by the reflecting pool for a tall dark haired lady but none of them could see either she or her “Angel Husband.”????? 
WRB
Dec 2015
  

Carl Says "The end is near"

I don't normally go to  up-town Salt Lake City during the holidays. (To many people!)

I did go last week and I saw a man holding a sign that said:

      THE END IS NEAR

When I got home I wished I had ask him four things?

WHAT END?

1. The world as we know it?
2. Our lives?
3. Our happiness?
4. Our misery?

Oh well he probably would not know the answer anyway.

 

One Christmas in a small town

I posted this several years ago, but being the Christmas Season I thought I would post it again. If anyone out there was born in a small town back in the 1940's or 50's it might bring back some memories. WALLY

One Christmas in a Small Town

                                ONE CHRISTMAS IN A SMALL TOWN

He lay very still for a few minutes, perhaps even holding his breath to make sure he could not hear anyone moving about. He had finished eating his cookies and milk in his bedroom and had called "goodnight" to his Mom and Dad quite a while ago.

When he was sure they must be asleep by now he quietly slipped out of bed being careful to step on the homemade braided rug beside his bed. He knew the stories he had heard about your foot sticking to the cold linoleum, like your tongue does to an ice tray were false, but he did not want to take any chances.

He crept out of his small bedroom and across the kitchen, again making sure he stayed on the rugs and did not step in the cold linoleum. In about eight steps he was in the doorway to the front room where the Christmas Tree had been decorated and lit and was awaiting the appearance of Santa Clause. Of course he and his friends now did not think there was a Santa Clause, but they were not sure? Maybe, just maybe-----? Never the less he wanted to see what awaited him under the big blue spruce that was their tree this year.

He peeked around the doorframe and was not really surprised that it looked just like it had when he went to bed. There were presents under the tree, there were cookies and milk on the end table for Santa and the lights were winking and blinking but nothing had changed. There were no new toys or gifts added since he went to bed. He said to himself, "well that is what I expected to find. I wonder how they know exactly when I am to sleep or just pretending?"

Of course it seems he had just gone back to bed and had just fallen off to sleep and he heard his Dad up building a fire, and then he knew! He knew that Santa had come and that it was OK to get up. He called to his Dad and asked, "has he been here yet?" And he answered. "of course Son but lets let the house warm up a little before you get up so your feet will not stick to the linoleum."

That was the beginning of another Christmas day, just like they had been for as many years as he could remember. When the house warmed up he and his Sister and Mom and Dad all opened their presents and ooohhd and ahhhed just like they did every year. They were thankful they were together and they always got some presents from that unknown Santa Clause.

After a quick breakfast the day's activities would begin just as they did every Christmas Day for as long as he could remember. He would bundle up in his warm coat, hat, gloves & boots and run as fast as his legs would carry him to his best friends to see what had been left for them under their tree. After a short visit and a piece of Christmas Pastry he and his friend would be off to the next friends house to do the same thing over again until they had visited all their friends in town. Each time they might pick up another person to go with them until in the end there might be ten or twelve kids trudging into a home to inspect gifts, eat cookies and have a Christmas drink. It was a grand time and one the young man would remember all his life, and even tell his children and grandchildren about.

Even though there might be ten or twelve children going from house to house. covered with snow and laughing and acting like children, they would never be turned away from their friends homes and would always be offered some type of "goodie." It seems in that small town that Christmas was the time for all the Mothers to try and outdo each other making goodies to hand out. I remember Greek Cookies, Pitisa, Italian biscuits, Fruit Cakes (soaked in wine cloths), Fudge, Butter Squares, Divinity and an array of things that were hard to imagine. We were even offered home made Wine by the Greek and Italian families, but we usually turned this down, hoping not to upset them.

It was usually afternoon when we finished visiting with friends and then it was time to visit the Aunts and Uncles (real ones and adopted ones.) There were many people in our small town who we called Aunt and Uncle but they were really just friends of our Mom and Dad's. Some times I am not sure if we really knew if they were relatives or not. Of course at those homes we had to eat. It was either a Turkey sandwich or a salad or it could be a full course dinner again. We never knew what it would be but we did know that we would be invited to eat. It seems in a small town that was closely knit together one of the favorite activities was to EAT.

After eating it was off to play, usually in the snow. If some of us were fortunate enough to get new sleds we could not wait to go try them out on the big sledding hill in Flat Town. We never had to worry about whether we would have enough snow. In fact our worry was usually the opposite. Who would be the one to walk up and down the hill in the thigh deep snow to pack down the trail for the first ride? Or if we got skates that clamped onto our shoes we would go to Hoopes' Pond and take our scoop shovels and shovel the snow of the pond so we could skate.

We would play in the snow until dark and then build a fire and play until we were so tired we could not get back up the hill. We were so wet and cold our pants were like cardboard--- but we did not care because we were having fun.

Our Christmas Day's were perhaps not as spiritual as they could have been, but the closeness and the love of other people of all faiths and all nationalities was ingrained deeply in me in that Small Town.

By W.R. Baldwin
9 Dec 2002
                        MERRY CHRISTMAS AND I HOPE ALL OF YOU HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR AND BUILD A LOT OF FUTURE MEMORIES.
WALLY

MEAL IN HEELS #2

I posted a blog in May of 2014 about a group of ladies that I called my MEALS IN HEELS. Well four of them showed up at my house today to tell me Happy Birthday. The picture above is what they delivered.

I was very, very appreciative. I also was more than a little emotional. THANK YOU, THANK YOU.

Some one must have passed along that my old favorite quilt had become a little ragged?
WRB
7 Dec 2015

NIGHT- "A Book"

         Night

 A GOOD READ

        by Elie Wiesel

 Perhaps to begin I might say maybe this book should not be called a GOOD READ. One of my Grandson’s who is in High School, was assigned to read it. He in turn called me and asked if I would like to read along with him. 

*It was a riveting book.

*It made me wonder how much inhumanity a person can be put through before they go mad?

*How much can one endure and still keep hoping that the next day will be better?

*I thought it was a dark book, but it was written to preserve a memory of dark things done in a dark time.

*I am glad I read it—once I started it I could not put it down. I read it in two days, and even though I am finished and reviewed it in my mind, I still have many thoughts about how human beings can treat others, and not seem to think it is wrong?

   I would suggest it to anyone who is interested in the Holocaust.

WRB

4 Dec 2015