A Nesei, second generation Japanese from Hawaii, was a sergeant friend who shared our barack in Tokyo. Pop, (then 28, whereas most of us GI's were only 20-22) was the old man of our place. He would return to the barracks inebriated late Saturday or early Sunday and come to my room and look at Jeanie's picture beside my bunk. He had a little broken English and would say: "How You get so lucky, boy? Get such a beautiful woman?" He would laugh and giggle and just enjoy raising me out of a good sleep to pester me.
Well, I did get lucky, now nearly 61 years ago. Paul Stamm and Don Ramsey were good friends, my brother, Bud's age. They graduated from PHS in 1948. We would often ride out on a summer evening 'looking for girls'. I missed an evening with them once and they came back saying: "Oh, Sam! You have to go with us to New Boston." Stamm said: "Sam, I saw the prettiest thing ever and she is a great dancer! She is so pretty though she is just something you would put up on a shelf and look at."
Well, I could appreciate good jitterbugging and could see when it was being done, but I never danced and, literally, had two left feet for the required skills. Next night we motored up to New Boston and the teenage crowded Grierson's Drive In, beyond the lake, the kids all called the 'Honky Tonk'. I saw the 19 year old and I was impressed, but not overly so at first. She was among the very best at jitterbugging, the fast dance of the day. She could swing her elbows and whatever in the very smoothest and classiest way. Smooth she was, but the same age of my two friends and, since I was only 17 at the time, just not a girl I was eligible to pursue. But somehow, I soon came to my senses and decided I would try to date Jeanette Weddington. She resisted when I wanted to take her to a PHS basketball game and I believe she just didn't want to be seem with this 'kid' in public.
I began working as an usher at the popular Ohio Theatre in new Boston along with the Clark twins, Carl and Clare. I saw Jeanette more often and on nights I wasn't working she allowed me to walk her home, about 3/4 of a mile west of the lake. Those were great walks and I found that, unlike my bashfulness with a lot of the Portsmouth girls, I could carry a conversation with this sweet thing. She seemed to enjoy our conversations, but kept a certain distance, telling me again and again, that I was just "infatuated". That five syllable word was probably the longest I have ever heard her or anyone say. Perhaps I was that at that time. Slowly though, I fell more and more madly in love with Jeanette.
She must have felt something for me too. In fact, two years later, we were married in January, 1952, 59 years ago as we approach January 2011. I think now- many mornings later -of Pop Noburo Yamamoto saying: 'How lucky you can be boy?! Get such a pretty woman?' You know what? Pop wasn't just blowing smoke. She was pretty then and is only prettier now each day.
Happy birthday, my bride Jeanie! I am beginning to think this can just not be 'infatuation'.
Sam
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Ben Stein's message- Recycled- Thanks sweet sister Sharon Lundy
Thanks sweet sister, Sharon
----- Original Message -----
From: sharonelund@aol.com
Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2010 07:13
Subject: Fwd: GREAT MESSAGE
Subject: (no subject)
Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late ! !
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees... I don't feel threatened.. I don't feel discriminated against.. That's what they are, Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about.. And we said okay..
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit.
If not, then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein
----- Original Message -----
From: sharonelund@aol.com
Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2010 07:13
Subject: Fwd: GREAT MESSAGE
Subject: (no subject)
Only hope we find GOD again before it is too late ! !
The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.
My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees... I don't feel threatened.. I don't feel discriminated against.. That's what they are, Christmas trees.
It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.
I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.
Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.
In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.
In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.
Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about.. And we said okay..
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?
Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.
Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.
Pass it on if you think it has merit.
If not, then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.
My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,
Ben Stein
Carol Vice- Two weeks after both knee replacements in Portsmouth OH
----- Original Message -----
From: Clay Vice
Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2010 05:52
Subject: CAROL
HEY GUYS, A LITTLE UP-DATE ON CAROL'S PROGRESS. IT HAS BEEN TWO WEEKS SINCE THE OPERATION. SHE IS WALKING WITH A WALKER AND STILL HAS A LOT OF PAIN. SHE IS RECEIVING THE PAIN MEDICINE-LORI TABS. THEY HELP THE PAIN AND KEEP HER OUT OF LA LA LAND. SHE IS VERY ALERT ON THIS MEDICINE. SHE IS NOW WALKING ACROSS THE HALL TO THE SHOWER WHICH IS ABOUT 30 STEPS BOTH WAYS. SHE IS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH LETTING HERSELF SIT DOWN ON THE BED IN A SLOW AND EASY MANNER. AT THIS POINT SHE IS VERY TIRED AND WANTS TO JUST FALL OR FLOP DOWN ON THE BED, BUT LOOKING AT THE WHOLE PICTURE, SHE IS PROGRESSING WELL. WE MET WITH THE REHAB TEAM AND DR. AND THEY ARE GOING TO CONTACT THE INSURANCE CO. TO GET HER ONE MORE WEEK OF REHAB AND I THINK SHE WILL BE WALKING VERY WELL AT THAT POINT . I THINK SHE WILL STILL NEED SOME PHYSICAL THERAPY AND WE WILL CROSS THAT BRIDGE AT THAT POINT AND TIME
Thanks Clay,
Some individuals in life have an "Indomitable Spirit" which means they just cannot be beaten. You and Carol each have that, and God has not blessed us all in such a way. Our prayers are helping and the young Vice lady and you will pull this one through. Thank you, God!
Sam
From: Clay Vice
Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2010 05:52
Subject: CAROL
HEY GUYS, A LITTLE UP-DATE ON CAROL'S PROGRESS. IT HAS BEEN TWO WEEKS SINCE THE OPERATION. SHE IS WALKING WITH A WALKER AND STILL HAS A LOT OF PAIN. SHE IS RECEIVING THE PAIN MEDICINE-LORI TABS. THEY HELP THE PAIN AND KEEP HER OUT OF LA LA LAND. SHE IS VERY ALERT ON THIS MEDICINE. SHE IS NOW WALKING ACROSS THE HALL TO THE SHOWER WHICH IS ABOUT 30 STEPS BOTH WAYS. SHE IS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH LETTING HERSELF SIT DOWN ON THE BED IN A SLOW AND EASY MANNER. AT THIS POINT SHE IS VERY TIRED AND WANTS TO JUST FALL OR FLOP DOWN ON THE BED, BUT LOOKING AT THE WHOLE PICTURE, SHE IS PROGRESSING WELL. WE MET WITH THE REHAB TEAM AND DR. AND THEY ARE GOING TO CONTACT THE INSURANCE CO. TO GET HER ONE MORE WEEK OF REHAB AND I THINK SHE WILL BE WALKING VERY WELL AT THAT POINT . I THINK SHE WILL STILL NEED SOME PHYSICAL THERAPY AND WE WILL CROSS THAT BRIDGE AT THAT POINT AND TIME
Thanks Clay,
Some individuals in life have an "Indomitable Spirit" which means they just cannot be beaten. You and Carol each have that, and God has not blessed us all in such a way. Our prayers are helping and the young Vice lady and you will pull this one through. Thank you, God!
Sam
What goes around comes around... Thanks Clay! How is Carol?
Thanks Mr. Vice! How is Carol coming along with rehab?
----- Original Message -----
From: Clay Vice
Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2010 21:40
Subject: Fw: WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND
One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.
Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.
He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill, which only fear can put in you.
He said, 'I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.'
Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two.. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.
As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.
Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.
He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, 'And think of me.'
He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.
A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed that the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan...
After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.
There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: 'You don't owe me anything. I have
been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.'
Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.
Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the
money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard....
She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, 'Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.'
There is an old saying 'What goes around comes around.' Today I sent you this story; and I'm asking you to pass it on. Let this light shine. God works in mysterious ways and sometimes puts people in our lives for a reason.
Don't delete it, don't return it. Simply, pass this on to a friend.
----- Original Message -----
From: Clay Vice
Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2010 21:40
Subject: Fw: WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND
One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.
Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.
He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill, which only fear can put in you.
He said, 'I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.'
Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two.. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.
As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.
Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.
He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, 'And think of me.'
He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.
A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed that the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan...
After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.
There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: 'You don't owe me anything. I have
been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.'
Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.
Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the
money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard....
She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, 'Everything's going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.'
There is an old saying 'What goes around comes around.' Today I sent you this story; and I'm asking you to pass it on. Let this light shine. God works in mysterious ways and sometimes puts people in our lives for a reason.
Don't delete it, don't return it. Simply, pass this on to a friend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)