GROWING YEARS

Thursday, June 30, 2011

 

This evening Grandpa and I went to calling hours for Glenn Gough.  We were in hopes of seeing Ricky there but we didn't.  When we went through the receiving line Mitch said he and his wife graduated with Kathy.  His wife is Theresa Kohlar Gough.  We also talked with Matt Gough who said Steve was his wrestling coach when he was in 7th and 8th grade.  He really liked Steve as a coach.

 

MEMORIES

(How Jesus Came Into My Life)

 

During the time we lived on Water Street, John and Steve made the Sacrament of Holy Communion.  We had a big party for them because in the eye's of the Catholic Church that is when you receive Jesus in the form of a host.  I believe now they use wine and a host.  The host represented the body of Christ and the wine the blood of Christ.

 

Grandpa and I then had an opportunity to purchase some land to build a house on.  This is the property where we live now.  We had our house built and moved in the year 1968. 

 

When Kathy was 8 years old she made her Holy Communion.  I wanted to get involved so I began with teaching CCD (Confraternity Christian Doctrine).  I was thirsty to learn more about God.  I taught the Sacraments and the life of Jesus.  I became a Lay Reader and that is a person who reads the Epistle during the Mass.  Our children made their Confirmation but to be honest I just don't remember to much about that time. 

 

One thing I do remember is the Church taught "The Bible is the WORD OF GOD"

 

To Be Continued,

 

Love, grandma

Our Baby Girl

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

 

Our day was as beautiful as the weather.  Grandpa loaded up the sheet metal roof that was taken off the building and we took it to a recycle place in Windham.  Grandpa walked away with a nice little check in his pocket.  I'm thinking he might feel the burn in his muscles tomorrow from the lifting.

 

MEMORIES

(How Jesus Came Into My Life)

 

The doctors decided to induce labor three weeks early for this pregnancy.  I was told that most of the problems with the blood happens in the last weeks of  pregnancy.  The delivery was easy and no problem.  We were thrilled because we had a little girl.  She had coal black hair and a fair complexion.  I thought she looked like Grandpa when she was born.  Grandpa picked out the name Kathryn and I picked out Sue.  My doctor had told me that I should NOT take my baby home less then 5 days because if the blood count was going to drop it would  by then.  My doctor went on vacation and the substitute doctor released us after 3 days.  I said 'NO, NO NO" because I was afraid of what might happen.  The nurse finally came in and said our baby girl had the same blood type as mine and not to worry.

 

We had Kathryn Sue Baptized in the Catholic Church.  Rosemarie was her God Mother and Uncle Sammy stood in proxy for Uncle John.  I still felt I was doing everything right and was obedient to the Catholic Church.  As I look back now It was the religion I was following and not my beloved Savior.

 

To be continued,

 

Love, grandma

Our First House

Tuesday, June 29, 2011

 

Today I went to visit an old friend who has major health problems.  God was so good to arrange for us to get together.  How do I know it was God?  Because it was good, acceptable and perfect.

 

MEMORIES

(How Jesus Came Into My Life)

 

Grandpa and I have been married 4 years and have been blessed with two beautiful children.  Grandma's hobby back then was being on a bowling team. 

 

Grandpa and I purchased our first home.  Actually I should say Grandpa and Grandpa Belden co-signed since I wasn't of age yet.  The house was a big two story house on Water Street in Garrettsville.  I remember the moving day.  We had some friends move us in a pick up truck, set up the beds in the bedrooms and everything else in the middle of the living room floor.  Believe it or not I was as happy as can be.  Our first house.

 

I was asked by a chef I knew if I would be interested in working as a waitress part time in a new bar and restaurant called the Chanticleer.  I knew nothing of waitressing but was told I could learn on the job.  The restaurant was located in the plaza where the bowling alley is in Garrettsville.  I would walk to work being we had only one car and it wasn't that far.  I found an excellent baby sitter, B. Brown, who was an elderly lady but very good to the boys.

 

Working in a bar restaurant was not a good influence on me.  I don't know how to explain it but I seemed separated from my family and life became all about me.  I had a lot of maturing to do during that time.

 

I worked for awhile and then a wonderful blessing came when I found out I was pregnant.  The doctors had advised us not to have anymore children because of the problems we had previously.  The pregnancy went very well and I couldn't be happier.

 

To Be Continued

 

Love, grandma

Our Second Child

Monday, June 27, 2011

 

Wal-mart shopping this morning, this afternoon cleaning girl came and this evening Grandpa and I went out to Cal's for supper and McDonald's for our hot fudge sundae.  Pretty hard to top a day like today.

 

MEMORIES

(How Jesus Came Into My Life)

 

March 22, 1961 our son, Steven Douglas, was born to us.  The delivery was easy but the days after were pretty frightening.  Steve was an 8 # baby, looked healthy and had the biggest dimples you would ever want to see on a baby. 

I must have lost quite a bit of blood because I needed a blood transfusion.  That's when they discovered I was Negative A blood type.  Not good news if you have a positive baby.  Steve's blood count continued to drop each day.  They had tested him so many times that there weren't to many places on his little body that didn't have needle marks.  The doctors told me I could stay in the hospital with him as long as I wanted because they really didn't expect him to live.  I was there with him almost a week and felt I needed to get home for our son John.  What I didn't know at the time was that as soon as I left we could no longer hold Steve, touch him or feed him.  We had to come as visitors and look through the glass window.  It was one month later when the hospital called and said we could bring our baby boy home.  The doctor's said this baby had a strong will to live.  I can still remember Grandpa and I going to bring him home.  Excited!!!!!

 

I was told my Grandmother had the priest come to the hospital to Baptize Steve but I never found out for sure.  We had Steve Baptized in the Catholic church to make sure he would go to heaven.  This is what I was taught and I wanted to do everything right.

 

To be continued

Love, grandma

1960

Sunday, June 26, 2011

 

A beautiful day today.  It's like perfect weather.  Grandpa finished his mowing and I fed the flowered plants some Miracle Grow and hit some weeds with Round Up. 

 

I think I'm getting a little carried away with my emails and give you all TMI.  It's just when I get started on the memories it's hard to quit.

 

MEMORIES

(How Jesus Came Into My Life)

 

Grandpa was working at the Standard Transformer in Warren Ohio when we got married.  Times were tough and Grandpa took a second part time job working evenings at a gas station. 

 

John was getting bigger and crawling around so we found a small house we could rent.  I found another job at a grocery store called Layers while Granny Belden babysat John.  It wasn't long and I was pregnant again which I was thrilled.  I felt good and loved being a wife and mother. I had to give up working at Layer's because of morning sickness.  A job opportunity came up with baby sitting Mike Hyde.  His Mom would bring him to the house each weekday with a can of chicken noodle soup.  That was all Mike wanted to eat for lunch.  He was good company for John to play with and I earned $5.00 a week for babysitting.  It might not sound like much but at the time it was a blessing.

 

I loved going to church but felt so guilty if I had to miss.  On Sunday was the ONLY time I felt close to Jesus in the celebration of the Mass.  I am going to give you the Explanation of the Mass from my Sunday Missal.  I kept this Missal because it is what I carried on my wedding day.  

 

 Father, The offering is made under the appearances of bread and wine.  It is a mystical immolation made in an unbloody manner.

By a sacrifice is meant an oblation of something in which a notable change is wrought and offered to God alone in witness of the supreme honor and reverence that man owes Him as his Creator, Master, Beginning and End.

The Sacrifice of the Mass was instituted by Our Lord Himself.  In instituting it He left His Church a Sacrifice by which the bloody Sacrifice offered on Calvary should be renewed to the end of time, and the merits of that Sacrifice might be applied in behalf of the living and the dead for the remission of sins.

The separate consecration of the bread and the wine in the Mass represents the actual separation of the Body and Blood of Our Lord in His Death on the Cross.

The Mass is not, however, a mere representation of the Sacrifice of the Cross.  It is, in all truth, the actual Sacrifice of the Cross that is renewed on the altar; for the Victim offered is the same--Christ on the altar offering Himself through the ministry of the priest, even as on the Cross He offered Himself.  The only difference consists in the manner of offering.  Through the Sacrifice of the Mass God bestows on us the graces that were merited for us by Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross.

The Mass has four purposes: 1. To adore God.  2. To thank God.  3. To obtain grace and benefits. 4. To satisfy the justice of God for the sins committed against Him, and make reparation to Him.

 

Hard to understand?????

Sorry, I thought I was going to keep this short tonight.

 

Love, grandma

First Year Of Marriage

Saturday, June 25, 2011

 

Our eleven year old Amish neighbor girl named Cindy called up this morning wanting to know if she could wash our car today.  You would not believe the job she did on it.  She got up on a ladder and washed the top and everything below except the wheels.  She litterly took all the mats out of the car and scrubbed them.  Swept the car with a sweeper and washed all the windows.  I almost felt guilty just giving her eight dollars but I couldn't give her more then what I paid her brother last year at least not on the first day.  She's a keeper.

 

MEMORIES

(How Jesus Came Into My Live)

 

Our first home together was an upstairs apartment in the town of Garrettsville.  It happened to be on the same street as the Catholic Church.  So easy for me to go for Mass.  I was so happy being a married woman and having my own home.

 

Grandpa went back to work the following week and I was working at the grocery store.  The next week or so I was using the meat slicer to cut lunchmeat and cut the tip of my thumb off.  It was at the end of the day and Grandpa was there to pick me up.  I must ad there was no meat guard on the slicer and I was still 16 and should not have been using the slicer.  The other girl I worked with was on vacation so I had to work.  The doctors in town would not touch it and I had to have stitches put in so Grandpa drove me to a surgeon's office in Ravenna.  I must say that was the most painful cut I ever had.  It hurt so bad that I slept on the couch so Grandpa wouldn't bump it accidentally. 

 

It wasn't long after I got pregnant and morning sickness followed.  I missed a lot of church because of that and then I just used it as an excuse not to go.  Another trip to the confessional before I could receive communion.  Communion back then had it's own rules.  No eating or drinking after midnight and communion was the only way one could receive Jesus internally.  The word used for that is transubstantiation meaning the change in the Eucharistic elements from the substance of bread and wine to the substance of the body of Christ with only the appearances of bread and wine remaining. 

 

Our first son was born on September 21, 1959.  Grandpa picked out the name for him, John Michael,.  I didn't know what I had a boy or a girl till Grandpa told me after I woke up in recovery.  When they brought the baby to me my first thought was "He looks like a Belden" I smiled because in my eyes he was the most handsome baby with his bright red hair.  I was 5 days in the hospital and then stayed a week at Granny and Grandpa Belden's house.  On October 25th 1959 we had John Baptized in the Church.  John's Godparents were my friends, Diane Gano and her husband.  Now if anything happened to John he would go right to heaven.  That is what I was taught.  I fulfilled my first responsibility of having John Baptized and receiving the first Sacrament.

 

To be continued

 

Love, grandma

Honeymoon

Friday,  June 24, 2011

 

I really don't have any family news so I will get right to the memories.

 

MEMORIES

(How Jesus came into my life)

 

On Saturday, October 25, 1958  Grandpa and I were married in the Catholic Church, St. Ambrose, in Garrettsville, Ohio.  Being we had only two attendants in our wedding party we got into Grandpa's new 1958 white Chevy and rode around town honking the horn.  We then drove to Ravenna to have our pictures taken at a Photo Studio.  We then drove back to the farm where the wedding reception was.   My Grandma didn't have much money but we had a nice reception at the house.  There was good food, music being played in the basement and a wedding cake to be cut.  We opened presents there before we left on our honeymoon.

 

Grandpa had told me before we got married that we would stop at the first motel we came to.  I changed clothes into my pretty blue suit before we left.  We left the reception at 4;00PM while people were still partying.  Off we went headed East.  We past the first motel, then the second and third.  I thought "Boy, Grandpa is more nervous about this then I am".  He kept driving and driving till we were in New York.  It wasn't long we saw a red light flashing to pull us over.  The officer said Grandpa was speeding but he didn't give us a ticket.  We must have looked like newly weds.  Grandpa wanted to surprise me and took us to Niagara Falls on the Canadian side.  We arrived around 10 o'clock that night.  We stopped at a new motel and reserved our room then went to the Falls.  It was beautiful. 

Now if you are over 18 you can read the next part:  Remember it was our honeymoon night and I had bought a new nightgown to wear.  I went into the bathroom with my suitcase and couldn't believe my eyes.  My Aunt Florence and cousin Rosemarie had taken all my night clothes out of the suit case. :0  I didn't want to come out unless all the lights were off.  It was so embarrassing!!! 

 

Next morning we went back to the Falls and took some pictures.  Black and White as we couldn't afford colored film. 

We stopped for breakfast and I ordered panny cakes.  At least that's what we called pancakes when I was growing up.  You should have seen the look on Grandpa's face.  Grandpa cut his all nice and neat and mine was one big pile in the center of my plate.  You can see I had a lot of growing up to do.  After breakfast We headed home.  We saw a lot of farm land and I said "Wow, look at all those horses in the pasture".  Grandpa said 'those are cows".  He still teases me about that to this day.

 

We would have stayed longer but I had to be back to work at the grocery store Monday morning.  Grandpa had the whole week off.  Not Fair!

 

To be continued:

Love, grandma