Donna's Journey

Today is the 79th anniversary of Black Tuesday. On Monday 28 September 1929, just nine days after my mother was born, the stock market fell 13 % and on Tuesday it fell another 12%. This 25% was exacerbated by the loses the week before and by continued losses for the next few years, into 1932.

Today congress voted against a bailout of America’s failing financial institutions. We are at the crossroads and it is not looking pretty. We have been watching this for several years. We have encouraged everyone we know to work to get out of debt and to prepare for the rocky road ahead. We had hoped this time of abundance would last just a little longer. Perhaps we will see a slow decline, but I must be ready to accept the reality as it happens.

Americans would like to find someone to blame, to pass the buck, and not take personal responsibility in what is happening. This situation did not begin on Bush’s watch, it has been going on under both democratic and republican presidents and congressional majorities. So, lets stop the finger wagging.
Suck it up and realize how short sighted we have been.

Who is kidding who. America would like to believe government created the problem and government will stop it. Those who believe this are either blind or ignorant. Many of us, truly ignorant of our form of government and the real blessing it is, have voted for every program they thought was beneficial. This has been done with a blind eye and deaf ear to the past, no regard for the morrow, and with little thought to whether it was the proper role of government. I do not know who they thought would cover this bill. Government has become a large public works program. More people that serve in these capacities are benefited than those poor that they serve. Overhead takes up a majority of the costs to the public. It can be done cheaper, quicker, and with dignity through the private sector and churches. It would have been cheaper to just give the poor a check, than to build buildings and hire staff to write the checks.

We looked around and passed off the cost to corporations. Corporations and even commercial farms went off shore, where profits increased due to fewer restrictions, less labor and production costs. We even started getting our food imported. Beautiful looking fruit. Many times this food is grown with chemicals banned in the US. As many Americans lost their manufacturing jobs over seas, they watched their own prospects to continue the abundant life diminish. Americans were at first able to buy goods and clothing from overseas for less than we could make them here and we were able to live rich, driving up the trade deficit.

Americans began feeling the pinch as paychecks could not keep up with rising costs and the taxes that removed any real gains. Baby-boomers began to see that social security would not be security for them. They looked for ways to increase their long term savings. Looking for ways to make higher returns for stock holders, pension funds, retirements, and other benefits, it became easy for financial institutions to slide out of their once more conservative money handling strategies. Oh it became a heady day. No one complained while the ride was wild and they built dreams of paper. Naive and ignorant to the past, they joined in the high stakes game. Their lack of economic sophistication, combined with greed and ignorance, and they began to gamble. We spend billions and billions on mass education in this country, an education that is both mandatory and compulsory. We have been way to busy to pay attention to who was rocking the cradle, dumbing us down, social engineering, and simply focusing on “job training” that we have failed to prepare our people for real life. We have created a people that cannot fix the problem because they do not really understand their history and what has been tried and failed. They do not understand the form of government that was given to them by their ancestors at great cost. They also do not understand how to be a conserver of anything but endangered species. They do not save. They do not prepare. They are laughing people on a train heading for a chasm with the bridge out.

Perhaps you are not like the people I just described, you are not naive, you know the past, you have carefully prepared for the future, and you understand our form of government, guess what? You are on the train too.

We are either part of the problem or part of the solution. What are you? America and the world is in for some very hard lessons. We can be bitter or we can be better.

When it comes to the election I hope you are knowledgeable enough to be able to vote with your head and not get caught up in the rhetoric and emotion. Know that charisma and rhetoric will not save us. Countries and cultures in financial crisis’ that have looked to charismatic leaders to save them ended up paying dearly. Look at WWII Germany. Hitler promised them the moon. A closer look would have shown them that the only way to achieve what he promised was through what he ended up doing. Same thing with the Bolsheviks. Blind change will not help us. More socialism will not save us and make us strong again. We do not need more government and more socialist agenda. There are no easy solutions. We cannot buy ourselves out of this. It will take a long time and careful work to work our way out of this.

I am sad for all those who are going to suffer, which is all of us in the end. Time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.

To quote my central classic, ” Oh be wise, what can I say more!”

My oldest son, Adam, turned 30 today! He is 6 foot 4. He was my smallest boy at birth. He was born on a day that Utah Valley Hospital had 89 births in 24 hours! Doctors were on three hour shifts. They had to put babies in cardboard boxes. I went home right out of recovery, 2 hours after my son was born.

We had a snow storm on Friday, Saturday my husband and his brother picked apples and pears at an orchard in Lindon, Sunday we visited my sister-in-law in Sandy and she gave us her baby clothes and baby furniture, Monday morning I went into Labor, and 21.5 hours later my son was born.

At home, in bed, I realized that we had a trunk full of fruit to can. My husband was working two jobs and going to school. So, his older brother came to help with canning, and sisters from the Relief Society came to help, as well. Only none of them could cook or can. So, there I was the morning after having my first child, helping with canning. Yes, I rested in bed when I tired, but I did a lot nevertheless.

That weekend was the BYU Homecoming and BYU was playing against Air Force. I was at that game, as was my newborn. He was snuggled in a carrier and slept through the entire game! He went to every football game and basketball game and would sleep through the cheering.

My mother had to be contacted through the Red Cross, as she was in transit to her new job in Heidelberg, Germany working for the Joint Chiefs of Staff. She could not come. My mother-in-law, flew in from Illinois, and then her mother flew in from Wisconsin to be there to help. Needless to say, they thought I did way too much.

Later when I went in for my check up I told my OB that I had gone to the game. He laughed and said his son was born two days after mine and they were at the same game!

Wow! Thirty!

I am a convert, and so is my sister. We have no other close relatives that are members of the church except for our posterity. It took me from 20 January 1973 to 5 January 2004 to research and find 1259 relatives. That was 35 years. It was like a dam broke in my family history. I passed the 10,000 mark today! I know of many that received land grants for fighting in the Revolutionary War. I wondered how many of my ancestors supported the war? Do we full appreciate their sacrifice?

It is quiet. I woke at about 530 this morning. I was well rested. The house was quiet and my brain fertile and alive. I have folded laundry, wiped counters, cleaned mirrors, washed dishes, and cleaned sinks. One thought leading to another, bumping and making connections, creating much for future blogs, articles, creations, etc.

Roger is at the temple, and I have had much time for con-templ-ation… Julia is at work. All the kids are still asleep. The neighborhood school children just left on the bus. Wait, it is 8:51 and my children are asleep. Well, tuckered out I guess. Mary was throwing up all Saturday night and Sunday morning. She slept all Sunday afternoon. We thought she got too much sugar at the home show we attended, as everyone was passing out candy like it was Halloween or something. Then again, she could have had a bug. Jeremy did about 30 miles yesterday afternoon. OK the hilly highway at Saratoga Springs just took the last bit out of him. James is probably still in bed, but reading.

Just your basic run of the mill lazy day. We will get up and going.

Autumn literally blew in today.

Jeremy and his friend Tyler took off on a 50 mile bike ride for a merit badge for eagle. They were trying to get this last ride to get their last eagle merit badge. Tyler needed to complete it by next week. Jeremy must have picked up the bug that Mary had. He made it 30 miles and was quite sick. Roger drove out to meet them, pick up Jeremy and follow Tyler as he finished his ride. Roger brought refreshment to restore them.

I prepared my final thesis draft for hard bound copy.

I am ready for mountain walks, dinners on the grill, and s’mores over the fire pit!

I want to wrap things up and head full straight into autumn. I want to begin autumn with the end in mind. What end? The holiday season of course!

Friday is Johnny Appleseed’s birthday.

Beginning next year we will celebrate 17 September, as our ancestors have. It was with the dawn’s light that the prayers of faith were answered for my ancestors.

16 September 1831, was the night of the Brig James Beachum/Famous Dove, shipwrecked 15 miles south of Cape Henry, Virginia. Why celebrate a shipwreck? How? Well, my mother’s fraternal great grandmother, Elisabeta Katarina Marquardt (born 30 Sept 1829), she, and her parents, Anna Eva Kaffenberger and Jacob Marquardt, were among the 162 survivors. They were migrating from Gadernheim, Germany. Yes, she was but 2 years old! I am related to the Arras and Bietsch families, through Anna Eva, as well. I was inspired by the story of the nine year old Margaret Arras’ faith and singing the hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God.” Surely the hymn will be part of our remembrance!

I only had a brief account of this event in my genealogy, but after a web search I discovered the rest of this story:

In 1831, the Preiss family and others from neighboring villages in the Odenwald region decided to join a party immigrating to the United States. A poor economy, high taxes, compulsory military service and general dissatisfaction were primary reasons for leaving Germany at that time. The immigrants’ saga is recorded in “History of the Saint Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Jenera, Ohio.” (5)

“The summer of 1830 was decided on for the voyage; but, due to unavoidable circumstances, it was twice postponed.

“And so it was in the middle of May 1831, a group started on the 400 mile trip through Darmstadt and Kassel to Bremen, where they finally sailed for America on July 14. They severed all the ties that bound them to their homeland and relatives left behind. Those sailing on the British vessel ‘Famous Dove’ were bound for Baltimore, Maryland. Families on board were named Arras, Beach (‘Bietsch’ in the original German), Bosse, Essinger, Gossman (Gassmann), Heldman, Luniak, Price (Preisz), Traucht (Tracht, with 22 individuals so named), Wilch (Willisch), and others. Land was sighted on the 65th day of the voyage and the people rejoiced. Despite inferior food and the usual hardships of ocean travel in those days, everyone was in good health. An infant had been buried at sea; otherwise the trip was uneventful.

“The emigrants were on the water several months when a northwest storm caught them when they were close to the shore of America. They were cast about and blown off their course, losing first the mast and then the rudder. The wind changed to the northeast with heavy seas washing the decks. For two days and two nights they drifted helplessly. On September 16, the ship started to fill with water faster than the sailors could pump it out. At about midnight, all had to move to the upper deck, and waves were running high. In the darkness on the ocean, no one knew just where, the ship was sinking.

“Some were praying, but the captain, having been under the influence of liquor from the time the ship left Bremen, became sober in the face of disaster and ordered the mates to launch a lifeboat in which he intended to escape from the sinking vessel. However, the leader of the expedition, Johann Adam Tracht, was inured to danger; he had not campaigned with the mighty Napoleon for naught! He was the owner of seven guns which he was bringing to America – not for the purpose of shooting Indians, but in anticipation of hunting game, a pleasure which was ‘verboten’ to the common people of Germany. Perceiving that the captain intended to abandon the ship and leave the passengers to their fate, he armed six men of his party, keeping a gun for himself. His orders were to shoot either captain or sailor who tried to go over the side of the boat. None tried.

“In the midst of all the confusion, nine-year-old Margaret Arras said that Christ stilled the waves and saved the disciples from drowning. ‘Maybe He will save us also.’ A sailor standing nearby said to ‘slap that dumb girl in the mouth for talking so foolishly, that anyone could see that the ship was sinking and all will be drowned.’ The girl started singing a hymn ‘A Mighty Fortress is Our God’; her faith was contagious, and the emigrants were soon singing, with even most of the sailors joining in. The ship sank no further, and the waves began to be smaller.

“When daylight came, they found that they were close to land (about one-half mile away). The ship had blown off course to the sand bar off the coast of Virginia, east of Norfolk, close to Cape Henry. The unmarried men remained aboard the wrecked ‘Famous Dove’ until the children and parents were landed … Many, on reaching shore, knelt down and poured out their hearts in gratitude to the Savior for deliverance. They solemnly vowed that annually on that day a ‘Schiffbruchsgottesdienst’ (ship-wreck thanksgiving festival) should take place in remembrance of the abject terror and the wonderful rescue.”

Descendants of the shipwreck survivors still hold a celebration each Sept. 17. The Famous Dove ran aground on Sept. 17, 1831. The Norfolk Herald on Sept. 19 reported: “The brig James Beacham, Galt, of & for Baltimore [from] Bremen whence she sailed 1st Aug. with 160 passengers went ashore about 15 miles to the S. of Cape Henry on Friday night last at about 11 o’clock in a gale [from] N.E. the crew & passengers have got ashore – vessel bilged and nearly full of water. When our informant left the wreck exertions were making to save the baggage of the passengers, cargo, &c.” (6)

Customs records in the National Archives provide a brief description of immigrants’ arrival in listings for Virginia under the quarter ending Dec. 31, 1831. It reads: “Brig, James Beacham, Galt, Master, from Bremen (wrecked near Cape Henry) – a list of names.” Many of the names are illegible, but of those that can be read include people known to have been aboard the Famous Dove, including Nicholaus Preisz, Adam Arras, Peter Arras, Johs Arras, Adam Tracht and P. Tracht. None of the records explain the discrepancy in the names of the ship (ie. Famous Dove, James Beacham).

(5) Hancock County Marriage Record 16, page 561. (6) Unpublished McDaniel genealogy. “

Yesterday after the graveside service, for Amanda, we headed to my sister-in-law, Joanne’s ward building to be refreshed by a luncheon put on by the Relief Society. Of course there was funeral potatoes, Jello salad and ham.

There were lively conversations. At one end of the table as my oldest son, Adam, and my son-in-law, Alan, discussed world politics and financial markets. My husband and I were part of a discussion of three Baby-Boomer couples. We were all strangers to each other. One was a woman bank executive. We discussed the current work ethic crisis in America and I shared some insights from working on my thesis. One mom said we need to bring back the M[ean] O[ld] M[om] idea. I laughed and it got me thinking. She was not so much inferring that we need Sargent moms so much as we need moms that are not lazy when it comes to training and follow through of our children’s character.

Yes, you read me right. There is 100 days until Christmas. I do not like to rush. I like to have a peaceful Christmas. So, I am spending time during the last two weeks in September figuring out what kind of things I will do with my children in living, creating, and giving. Hand work is great for afternoons and evenings during the fall.

Lest you think I have blotted out the special days in between, oh think again!

I celebrate Autumn!

September:
22 Autumn Equinox
26 Johnny Appleseed Day (234TH)
26 Adam’s Birthday (30th)
27 General Relief Society Meeting (I attend with my adult daughters)

October:
4-5 178th Semiannual General Conference
5 Girl’s Night (While men are at the General Priesthood Meeting)
11 Mary’s Birthday (10th)
12 The Real Columbus Day
14 Winnie the Pooh Day (Time for a Pooh Tea)
16 Dictionary Day (Noah Webster) A game of Scrabble anyone?
17 Graduation!!!!
20 Mothers and Daughters Day (My mom’s birthday, eight days before the 1929 Stock market crash)
31 Harvest Celebration

November
1 Adam and Ki’s Anniversary (5)/ Beginning of a month of thanks!
4 Election Day
6 Julia’s Birthday (26)
11 Veteran’s Day (My ancestors served their country in every war major war from the revolution to WWII).
27 Thanksgiving Day
29 Father and Sons (my dad’s birthday 1923, he was born on Thanksgiving Day)

December
1 The 24 Days of Christmas Begins!
5-12 Hanukkah
16 Boston Tea Party time for a Liber Tea!
22 Winter Solstice. Winter begins!
24 Silent Night Birthday Party for Jesus
25 Christmas
29 Our 31st Wedding Anniversary
31 New Years Eve Lunch and map out the next year.

There is much to do and I am sure I will find other things to celebrate along the way. Meanwhile, the tread that will run through the fall is the harvest, learning, the skills and the making of gifts.

There was to be no funeral, only a closed casket, graveside service. I was told that my sister-in-law requested us to dress casual in jeans, no black funeral attire, as that was Amanda’s style. I could not bring myself to wear jeans. I compromised and wore a long ecru linen trumpet skirt and a white oriental blouse.

There were many who came to pay their last respects. The graveside service turned out to be an open air funeral. Family came in front outlying states. Former teachers came, even Amanda’s 5th grade teacher. While my husband’s sister Bea was setting up for some musical numbers, Roger and I , along with our my children, Jeremy, James, and Mary took a stroll through the cemetery with Bea’s grandchildren, my great niece and nephew. I hoped it would wear my niece Jamie out.

As the crowd gathered at the graveside we wandered back to join them. As I approached Amanda’s mother, Joanne, she through her arms around me and sobbed into my ear, “I never thought my daughter would die before me,” and “I keep thinking brain tumor.”
My heart broke. None of us expect our children to die before us. My heart was sad for the young fiancée. He read a poem at the graveside. Amanda really is in a better place and she suffers no more.

I know that goodbyes are awful. Goodbyes have always been teary for me, even when I know I will see them again. It is the missing in the here and now that brings that melancholy. God is merciful though, He has given the living each other to see after, and that helps us deal with the loss of loved ones.

We cleaned our house which needed it due to neglect during my thesis marathon.

The potential buyers drove by and decided they did not like the fact we have stairs. So they drove on by.

Our house is clean and in order. That is a blessing. It is all done early. So, we have the rest of the day to relax.

It is kind of a bummer though. The contract on the house we wanted in Monticello is running out tomorrow. An adventure lies before us none-the-less. Though we felt prompted to move to Monticello it will happen in the Lord’s own due time. Meanwhile we are where we are and we will bloom where we are planted.

Moving half of our books into storage along with other things has made it so we could handle the influx of people that were guests this summer. Now I have space to sort and purge. I will probably disperse my bookshelves among my adult children and replace them with taller ones so we can put all the books away. I can sort those too, because my mother-in-law has moved to a smaller flat, and she is parting with some of her grand books.

My husband was not here when I awoke, he had headed to the temple. So I got up and cleaned which gave me time to reflect. When Roger came back I suggested we get together and plan what is next. Kind of a revisit to the core phase.

Paul says we should count it all joy!