Twenty-One
____________
Sowing & Reaping
Several things
happened that fall of 1940 that will be etched in my mind forever.
Pa’s youngest cousin died from an infected knee.
This was before antibiotics. In the spring my Ma’s cousin’s daughter, who was
five years old, died of Bright’s kidney disease. Pa also fractured his arm
tryin’ to crank-start the Model T.
1940 was swiftly comin’ to a close. Pa sold pert
near everything we had and we were on the move again. This time to Vale, Oregon
to help some of Pa’s extended family with their farm. They were sharecroppers
just like we were. Pa had other family livin’ in nearby Harper too. The Vale
area was the first stop in Oregon that early settlers encountered along the
Oregon Trail. Pa’s relatives decided not to proceed any further into Oregon
Country and just stayed put in that area back in the early 1840s.
Before leaving Oklahoma, we stopped by Sarah
Jane’s grave to bid our farewells. It felt like the hardest thing for me to do…
to leave Sarah Jane. I still feel the deep sorrow in my heart, though it is not
as sharp as it was during youth.
Another thing we did before we set off for Oregon
in our new 1938 Ford Deluxe Fordor sedan with a V8 motor, well, it wasn’t
exactly new but it was new to us, was to give our dog ‘Lucky’ to Carol
Wozenski. It was a hard decision to make, but we knew Lucky would be loved and
would not have to move from the Oklahoma farmland she had always known. Carol
and I agreed that she should keep the diary we found in the church, the one we
always read together. The last entry in the diary revealed that the girl was
very sick and was going to take the book to the church and hide it there and
retrieve it when she got batter. She must not have gotten better or somethin’.
Carol said she would make an attempt to find an exact date for the diary and
age for the girl then, if possible, check for a grave containing a girl of
similar age and time period.
After a year and a half in Vale, we moved to
sunny California the summer of 1942. Pa bought four lots in the San Francisco
East Bay Area on what is now called The Arlington Boulevard. He sold three of
‘em after about two years sayin’, “They ain’t never gonna be worth nothin’!”
Little did he know at the time how things would change and how the area would
grow. Only a handful of folks, sparsely scattered, had homes on this street at
that time.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
“This arm’s going to need a lot of rest, John,”
the doctor informed Mr. Charlton. “You better find a way to not use it for a
spell.”
John contemplated the doctor’s words seriously
while driving back to the farm. He’d already planned to eliminate the need to
crank start a car, he experienced trouble doing that left-handed. But what
about farm life as it was, so many questions plagued his mind. He thought of
Abraham in the Bible's book of Genesis when he was still named Abram, and how
God told him to leave all to go to a land that He would show him.
Words from the Bible filled John’s mind…
“Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat,
but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe
you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it
into a bag with holes;
But my God shall supply all your need according
to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus;
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you;
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every
situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to
God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your
hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus;
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,
saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected
end.”
Mr. Charlton turned his car around and drove to
the Cobb Creek store to use their phone. He made two calls that day, two calls
that would alter the lives of his children, his life, the life of his lovely
wife, and the lives of other family members in Oklahoma.
“I understand, God,” John whispered softly as he
drove home. He would still confirm his feelings and the offers he received over
the phone with his wife and children to be sure that what he felt was really
God’s guidance and was also consistent with his family’s needs and desires.
When John entered his home he presented what had
transpired that day to Hilda, along with everything that came to his mind and heart.
He told her of his phone calls to their farm’s owner and to relatives in Vale,
Oregon.
“I’ve been having the same feelings, dear,” she
confirmed, “but I didn’t think about a transition time in Vale, I must say.”
“It’ll give us time to get on our feet and for
my arm to heal some before movin’ on to California. We should also be able to
save us a piece of money.”
“We’ll be needin’ that for settlin’ in
California for sure.”
“I still want to make sure the youngins are ok
with all of this,” John affirmed his heart’s conviction.
When the Charlton children returned home from
school their parents shared their thoughts and feelings with them in order to
observe their responses.
“I like the idea, Pa…Ma,” Mary said.
Teddy was thrilled as well as Richard, but Rae
Ann voiced her concerns, “Well, we are leavin’ all of our friends and family.
But worst of all we will be leavin’ Sarah Jane here all alone. You got to
promise me we will come back from time to time to visit Sarah Jane’s grave and
lay some flowers down, please.”
Everyone agreed that they would return every
summer they were able to see the growing fields of crops, to smell the aroma of
the land, and to visit Sarah Jane’s resting place.
For over a week, while the Charlton parents
planned their move, the four children went to El Reno to stay with some
relatives. When John and Hilda held a large farm items sale the children were
off to Minco to stay with family friends for another week. Mary was unhappy
though and her parents had to pick her up after only two days had transpired.
The children all received a quarter when they
returned from Minco. Rae Ann spent hers on two yards of material that cost
eleven cents per yard for making a new dress for the upcoming trip. Richard
bought marbles, Teddy bought jawbreakers, and Mary purchased a small doll.
Standing and staring across the field toward the
highway, Rae Ann and Richard spent many of their final Oklahoma days counting
the vehicles that passed by their farm. Teddy finished reading his collection
of books before packing away the few he was allowed to bring on the trip. Mary
played with her dolls in her room. But most of all the children enjoyed the
hours they spent playing with their dog Lucky. The chill in the late fall air
made running across the fields together both warm of body and warm of heart.
Lucky was soon off to live with Carol Wozenski and it was time to depart the
homeland so deeply loved by the family.
Mr. Charlton was presented with a great deal on
a newer automobile and could not resist the offer. Now, this is a vehicle fittin’ for a family!
On the day of departure the family drove to
visit the grave of the only family member not coming on the trip. Standing at
the grave, Mr. Charlton removed a poem he had hastily written that morning and
read it aloud…
As Tumbleweeds Roll
By John Charlton – Oklahoma 1940
As tumbleweeds roll,
So we’ll be rollin’ on,
To a life with new dreams,
To the sound of a new song.
The cotton fields will wave,
Prairie breezes will cry,
As we drive away slowly,
With a tear in our eye.
With our memories old,
And our memories new,
We add memories sad,
Those with happiness too.
Our little girl we leave,
In peace she does sing,
Awaiting our return,
And the return of the King.
The King of kings, Lord of lords,
Holds Sarah Jane so very tight,
In his arms of pure love,
In His Kingdom of light.
We’ll never forget you,
Our daughter so dear,
Though we be far away,
You are always so near.
With Oklahoma in our heart,
In our eyes her beauty so grand,
Her aroma fills our senses,
We’ll miss her deeply, our cherished
homeland.
Oklahoma – a place, a life, a
memory!
When Mr. Charlton finished his reading he placed the poem on his
daughter’s grave and placed a white stone over it. Rae Ann kissed her fingers
and touched the white stone gently. Mrs. Charlton cried softly. The family
recited the Lord’s Prayer then climbed into their car and drove away toward the
west into the golden light of the Oklahoma horizon.
To: Epilogue
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