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MEMORIES OF MY OLDEST BROTHER, ONAS PARTIII
by Verna Mull Years went by, Onas became the first Psychology professor in Wheaton College, and did a good work there. My sister Myrna and I were invited to attend the "Scandrette" Lecture at the College. We were like fish out of water! I was miserable, as we ate with all of the professors of the school, on the evening of the lectures. I was so proud of Ones, however; but I was so glad to get back to his home. Oneas was a photography expert, and won many prizes for his photography. The next day, Myrna and I browsed through a lot of his work and he asked us to choose a photo or two to take home. Today, I am so thankful for that privilege. Myrna and I were both farm wives, and we felt a little out of our element even in his home, but we did get to know our brother a little better. Of course, Myrna, being only 2 years younger than he, had a great time talking about their early years. One thing that was interesting to me was their 2-person club. Ones decided that Myrna needed to be initiated into the club. He placed a large plank over a piece of chopped fire wood, and put a large rock on one end. Myrna was to jump on the other end of the plank. Of course, the rock went flying! Well, that was her initiation and could have been her death, but God is good! They talked about wearing a pair of Mamas long silk panties for punishment if they didn't measure up to the club rules. (Made by Onas, of course.) However bad the misuse of the rules seemed to be; they got so many swats across their bottom, wearing the long silk panties. I really enjoyed listening to them reminisce. I still felt that Ones was a stranger, but Myrna had always lived near, and I felt very close to her. I cannot believe that I actually drove to Wheaton, Illinois! I only got lost once, so that was pretty good for an old country bumpkin, wandering around in the outskirts of Chicago! We went to Wheaton again when Mary passed away. This time, Paul was the driver for which I was very thankful. Onas went to live with his youngest son, Richard, and his wife, Barb. Again, he was even farther away, as Rich was serving in the army, and made several moves. When Rich had retired from the service, they moved to Fairfield, California. Onas came to stay with me for a month or so. This gave them opportunity to get settled in their new home, and Ones was not in the best health at that time. That was a very special time in my life! I began to feel very close to Onas as we went on walks, and shared our life experiences, our feelings, the hopes and dreams that we had in our lives. I really believe that we were much closer in emotional make-up than any of the others in our family, and for the first time, I felt a very strong emotional bond to my brother, who had always been a stranger to me. My husband and I went to Fairfield to celebrate Onas' 90th birthday. He had many physical problems, and now lived in a beautiful home where he was well cared for. Oh the love that I felt for him at that time. It wasn't long after that, he went home to be with our Lord and Savior. He truly had a deep love for His Savior, which is a love that we both shared. Praise the Lord; we will have eternity to spend together when I pass over to the Home that our Savior has planned for us. Onas, I'm sure that you felt my love for you, and I'm so glad we had that "special time together!' I treasure the picture that hangs on my wall in Arizona. It is the picture that we had taken together on his 90th birthday. An elderly Christian who has learned to depend upon the Lord. He is sufficient to meet our needs in any circumstance of life. I only want to honor Him Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |