LIFE IS GOOD

LIFE IS GOOD

                                                  

    Because of some health problems recently I have taken to pondering life in general along with some specific things that have meaning to me, but perhaps they do not to others?                                        

   Every year, for the past 40 or 50 years a group of people of different  ages and nationalities who worked and lived in Hiawatha, Utah, have gotten together for a town reunion. There is no format at the meeting, Just a group of people who get together for old times’ sake. 

   We just visit, talk about old times, eat KFC chicken and talk about friends who are no longer with us. I think everyone there enjoys it?

   The thing that; clicked in my mind, and prompted me to do this blog was the feeling we all seemed to have for this little old town coal town;.

   Many commented that for any age, in the group they seemed to remember it as a place where life was good.

As I sat and pondered it reminded me of another friend, from another city who used a little different saying when he got upset. He would say “life is good, and then you die” His saying it in turn upset his wife also and then they both would sulk-Ha Ha.

   Then Co-incidence –or not, on this August 10^th we had our Hiawatha Day Reunion. Everyone seemed to visit with a lot of old friends. The conversation was about old friends, old cars, who had passed away since last year and who was still standing up.

   I am sure they were as surprised as I was when we got the news that, one of our Hiawatha friends had passed away just two days after our get together.

   At the time I read the Obituary I recalled the old saying:

  I guess we could change the old saying about life to read:

  LIFE IS FRIENDS:

  LIFE IS FAMILY:

  LIFE IS GOOD:

I am only 87 and my Doc. says he thinks I have a while to go—but there are no promises

WR BALDWIN

16 AUG 2019

The Old Swimmin Hole

 Friday, November 1, 2013

THE OLD SWIMMIN HOLE

Most small towns in my generation, had an "Old Swimmin Hole. The one in our town was unique in the fact it was made out of cement. The floor and the walls were made of cement. Some say it was an old building foundation and some say it was the old town water reservoir. It was a pretty good hike up North Fork to get there but we usually were not in a big hurry to get there.

The water was absolutely frigid when you first dived, or climbed or crawled in. After you had been in a while it felt good on a hot summer day.

The small stream nearby was diverted to fill the pool and when the pool was full the water just kept running over the top of the dam on the lower end. We always rationalized that this kept the water clean.

During my teen years the dam at the bottom was blown out with dynamite by one of the men who worked for the company. Of course shortly after it was blown out "gunny sacks" or burlap bags were brought up and filled with rocks and dirt and we again had our swimming hole.

There were a few girls that would go swimming at the swimming hole but not many and not often. One reason was that some of the guys did not use a store bought swimming suit, but just went in the suit they were born in.

There are a couple of things I always wondered about the Old Swimmin Hole. 1. Has anyone ever seen a picture of it? 2. Was it really an old basement. 3. Does anyone know how the old 2" x 12" x 20' diving board ever got up there?

If anyone following this blog, has some comments about the "Old Swimmin  Hole" in your home town how about posting a comment on it.

The actually was a Movie made in 1940 called the Old Swimmin Hole. It must have typical of a lot of them found around small towns in the good old USA.

COULD THIS BE ME

For those of you who have not started (or almost finished) a personal record of your life, could I suggest you do it NOW! Perhaps you feel your life story would be inconsequential, or has been boring, or will be boring. However let me assure you, no matter what stage of life you are in, there is or will be a time when some friend or a family member, or perhaps even a complete stranger will thank you if you if write a history of yourself.

So what is the difference between  a journal a family history, a personal history, or an album of photographs? 

A lot of times a Mom starts one for each child---as a baby book. And then that poses the question- who finishes it?

I would suggest that you have a plan. If it is not a written one, you should at least have a plan in your head. And what events should you write about? The answer to that was always easy for me. My answer is ANYTHING YOU WANT TO! And when should you start writing--- NOW!

So what if two siblings from the same family, who write in a journal about the same thing might end up like this?--When Jim fell of his horse into a mud hole, Mom & Dad started yelling and running toward them to make sure they were O.K.--however little Bob and Alice their younger siblings were laughing and holding their stomachs to keep from falling over. So--one incident---two different complete reactions if they all wrote in their journals? Was one right and one wrong?

You might ask "how do you keep track of all the information?" The best advice I can give you is that if you start saving STUFF you will always find a place to put it! Maybe one file for a family or loose leaf style for photos, and even one for unlabeled pictures and files--AND EVEN THE DREADED UNLABELED -NO NAME - COMPUTER files.

A few weeks ago I was cleaning out a plain old cardboard box that had been sitting in my office (through several houses.) Toward the bottom of the box I found an old envelope. In it were two old yellow sheets of paper. One was a very official certification from the BSA made out to my Dad, indicating he had been made an official Assistant Scout Master on 25 Nov 1927. A second one was a Certificate indicating Willie Baldwin had not missed a day of school in the Beaver School District that year, and was dated 17 March 1918.  

I am 87 years old and still trying to keep up on my life story, and keep all of my treasures filed and sorted away in some fashion.

So the Million Dollar Question is :What do you write about?

And the Ten Dollar answer is: Any :thing You want too 

W.R Baldwin

14 July 2019

MY MINISTER

                                                    MY MINISTER


Our Church started looking after its members recently and they chose to call it ministering. Is was nothing new in my case, as unknown people and some who were not unknown have been watching over me for several years, ever since my wife passed away.

I know there must be several people involved because I am pretty sure the ones who cook the delicious food are surely not the same ones who get up and shovel  two feet of snow off of my
driveway after a big storm!

I do not know why they want to keep it a secret, but I have caught them a couple of times. And when someone knocks on my door and hands me a (still hot or warm) pie or casserole, even I can figure it out.

Like I said these good Brothers and Sisters have been Ministering a lot longer than the Church has been calling it Ministering.

One of these people who is surely a minister was at my house some few weeks ago supposedly to see how I was doing. As he was leaving he commented on the large dead tree in my front yard, and asked what I was going to do with? I told him I was just going to cut it down and take it to the dump when I got around to it.

The next day I went to visit my sister and when I came back home, much to my surprise I thought a miracle had happened. The tree was gone---- not even a stick was left--- I could only surmise that my ministers had come to visit me.

I am sure he had some help at times, but as I said he is my Minister in time of need. With one single phone call he shows up to calm my nervous disposition. He never preaches but always calms me.

As I said earlier, he has been my minister LONG BEFORE the name became official. THANKS !!!!

Wallace R. Baldwin
 27 June 2019

COUSINS COME IN ALL SHAPES

                                    COUSINS COME IN ALL SHAPES PLACES & AGES

ETERNAL FAMILIES

ETERNAL FAMILIES       W.R. Baldwin 25 Oct 1998

Where did my Eternal Family go?

Did they stray away as they started to grow?

ETERNAL FAMILIES       W.R. Baldwin 25 Oct 1998 Did I teach them the things, to keep on the path?

Or did I try to teach, when in a state of wrath?

They learned to love from their Mother dear.

The taught them with love, never with fear.

Her love was unconditional all of her life.

Perhaps in her youth, she had her share of strife.

But her children, she thought, I will raise with love.

Then I can have them forever in Heaven above.

But she forgot the Lord’s plan of Free Agency.

They can choose yes. Or no, to come back to me

To live in the Lord’s Heaven as a family,

Or to the Terrestrial Kingdom, go separately.

Their choice is not ours, but theirs to make,

No matter what covenants on earth WE do make.

We teach, we pray and an example we live.

We hope it is good, the example we give.

Especially the Mother, with unconditional love

That she got from our Father in Heaven above.

Will our earthly family, which we raised from birth

Be with us, when we leave this old earth?

Will we be worthy to have them forever?

Will we be Celestial, and there will we gather?

I hope and I strive, and try to do right.

I pray by my bed both morning and night,

That each of my children and especially my wife

Will all live Celestial, in our after Earth life?

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF MINISTERING

 
             A DAY IN THE LIVE OF MINISTERING

   I was sitting at my desk a couple of days ago, just thinking of the old times (actually very  old) and "what a difference a day makes", which was the title of a song that was sung then by Dinah Washington.
   Then that made me think of another song that was popular in my day  It was "Have you done any good in the world today?" Which is an old favorite song of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints.
   I am not sure if I will ever get this blog all tied together. but I will try and hopefully it will end up being about Ministering?
   First I need to clarify that these are Real things( Memories) of things that really happened.
   1. A lady I know has a house cleaning service. One day when she had finished she left in a hurry and the home owner left right behind her to run to the bank.He was only gone a few minutes and then returned home. As he drove into his driveway he saw a :wad: of green paper in the drive way. It was $40.00 and of course he knew where it came from. It would have been so easy just to put it in his pocket. However he did not, he called her and told her he had it and she could come and pick it up when ever she wanted to.      
(Was he just being honest or was he ministering?)
   2.An elderly man was walking in the park and as he came to a large tree, he noticed a small boy laying on the lawn crying. He stopped and ask the boy what was wrong and could he help him?
The boy pointed up in the tree and there was a soccer  ball stuck in between the branches. The boy(still crying) told the man he would be in "big" trouble when his Mom came to get him. The old gentleman told him to wait there for a few minutes while he went up to his car. The boy waited, the man went up to his car and returned with a golf ball retriever that he always carried in his trunk. The man extended the retriever, gave the soccer ball one good   "WHACK" and out came the ball. The boy was thrilled, the Mom  (who was running up the hill) to see what was going on, was happy and the older man was happy. Now was the man just helping out a young boy, Was he just wanting some social activity or was he Ministering before that word become popular?
   3.An elderly Man and Lady had finished and were trying to get out of the restaurant but were having a hard time with their canes, walkers and trying to old the door open. A young man was standing a short way up the sidewalk ran down to them and ask if he could help them? the older lady said, my yes, you sure can. He helped them and the lady dug through her purse and gave him a $1.00 bill. The young man told her thank you very much mam. Then he put his hand up to his mouth, like he was whispering and said, "Mam I got a little brother in our van". The Lady said of course please give him this, and handed him another $1.00 bill.( it is great to have a BIG BROTHER sometimes)
   4.A traveling Salesman came upon a car parked on the side of the road with four distraught ladies standing by it. He decided he better stop and see if he could help. As soon as he stopped the car he knew he could help. They were all dressed in their (Sunday go to Meeting clothes,) They had a flat tire on the front drivers side and were trying to put a "jack" under the rear  passenger side. 
   It took about two seconds for him to convince them to let him change the tire. It took him 15 or 20 minutes to change the tire, all the while trying to explain why you could not lift the whole car  with the car like they do in a service station. He finished and was on his way, amid profuse thank yous and he would get his reward in Heaven.
   Now this again poses the question, was he just a Good Samaritan or was he Ministering?
   5.An 84 year old man drove out to his sisters yard to see if she was OK after a BIG snow storm. Of course he could not be of much help to her, but he felt he should go check up on her. He had just got out of his car, when a car with four teen age boys pulled up in front of the house and stopped. Out jumped four boys with four snow shovels. It looked like a snow blower working for about 15 minutes. The drive-way, the parking area, place for garbage can, and steps up to the house were all clear of snow. They all headed back toward there car and the lady was waving her purse in the air and yelling "let me pay you." As they jumped in their car one boy yelled back "nope, we are just helping people out,so they will not forget there are a lot of teenagers in the world that are not trouble makers."
   So were the boys ministering, the lady ministering or both, or neither?
   This is a different type or blog for me. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, are encouraging their members all to be ministers so I thought I would give it a try.
   This Blog brought back a lot of memories and one I liked (In my day) was a song (Little Things Mean A Lot ) by Kitty Kallen.

W.R. Baldwin 
5 June 2019