In the Shadow of Angels
By Charles Maldon Sr.iUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2010 Charles Maldon Sr.
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4401-9790-1Contents
Introduction.......................................xiThe Wheelchair Saint...............................1The Vernon High School Saint.......................47The Welfare Department Saint.......................83The Junior College Saints..........................97My College Sweetheart Saint........................111The Carpool Saint..................................129The Mother-in-Law Saint............................139The Godmother/Godfather Saints.....................153Past Reflections...................................163The Preparation....................................169A Period of Trial..................................175The Calling Came...................................183On the Fast Track..................................185Because They Dared to Care.........................189
Chapter One
The Wheelchair Saint
The sun peeked through the curtains of my mother's room as she stirred from sleep. She leaped out of bed and dressed for her work. She immediately sighed and thought, I must hurry or I am going to be late for work. She was a very conscientious employee and hated to be tardy for anything. Quickly, she dressed and grabbed her uniform for work. But then she remembered that she had not checked to see if she had everything that she needed. Within the last month, she had been able to obtain a very good job at the canning factory in Quincy, Florida. In addition, she worked as a cook for a very fine caf. Her mother had spent many hours teaching her how to cook. It seemed that half of the town was bragging about what a great cook she had become. Local residents from all around would come to taste and sample the food prepared by this nineteen-year-old young woman. Many of her customers would ask her how she became such a dynamic cook. She would only say, "I had to learn at an early age to in order to help take care of my baby sister." In both of her employment positions, she enjoyed praise and several commendations from her managers.
The fall of the year came and my mother had grown accustomed to not having her younger sister in her life because she had relocated to the bright city life that she longed for. She continued to reside with relatives in the area. Life was going terrific for her. And for once in her life, this young woman was full of splendor and excitement. There was not a more responsible person her age in the area where she was living. Her maturity level was seen by most to be equivalent to that of a thirty-year-old woman. A short time after cooking in the restaurant, Rosa Lee met a young man from Cunningham, Alabama. His name was Alphonso Maldon.
After consuming a scrumptious meal on the day he stopped by the restaurant, this man knew that he admired her beauty and loved the way she cooked. My mother had never dated before. Here she was about to enter an area of life that she had never bothered with previously. Her responsibilities kept her too busy to think much about a husband. My father had been coming to the diner to have meals regularly. Eventually he had gotten the nerve to ask her for a date. In the beginning she had replied, "I am too busy and don't have the time for dating." But Alphonso was a very persistent young man and would state, "Come on now, no one can be busy all the time." My mother had no intention of changing her mind. She continued to refuse the invitations. However, my father was just as persistent to go on a date with her.
Finally, after turning him down several times she consented. "Okay, I will go out with you but I am a very respectable woman, and I will not be sleeping with you or any other man before I am married." My father told her that he had only good intentions. To this my mother said, "In that case I will go out once but must be back in before ten. I am a working woman and am not tardy for work." There was something about my mother that really attracted my father.
The two dated for a while, and soon they became engaged and got married. That year of 1939 marked another major transition in the life of this mysterious and wonderful woman. She knew that her life was changingandwouldneverreturntothosetobaccofields,canningfactories, or living with her relatives. Another chapter was closing in her life, and she accepted it graciously. She had never been a person who complained about things anyway. This recent transition would not make or break this small-framed woman with dark skin and Indian facial features. She had already learned to accept transitions and disappointments in life.
A New Life Together
That summer they started their new life together and went to reside in Port St. Joe, Florida. During the early months of her marriage she continued to work. My father was a very skilled man. He obtained employment with the St. Joe Paper Company. Soon he had managed to purchase a truck for them. He had even begun to teach his wife how to drive. Getting into the swing of married life was not a real problem for my mother. The couple enjoyed the first year of their marriage tremendously. Having never dated but the one man, you might have expected her to experience adjustment issues. However, this was not the case at all. As a matter of fact, she adjusted very well to being a married woman.
Perhaps much of this quick adjustment was the result of her spiritual upbringing. Having grown up in her parents' and grandparents' home, my mother reaped the benefit of their relationships. She had excellent spiritual role models to teach her those things that helped one to build and sustain a good marriage. She had observed the closeness and kindness displayed and shared by both of them. Her grandparents and parents were lovable people. In fact, Rosa Lee never heard her grandparents or parents engaged in a marital argument. Over dinner one night as a young teenager, she asked her grandmother, "How can you stay married to the same person all these years and still get along so well together?" Mama's grandmother replied, "I learned early in life that loving someone is the beginning of a marriage, but having God in the marriage will determine the success and preservation of a close relationship." Spending her childhood and teenage years with her grandmother helped Rosa Lee to develop a healthy outlook about married life. Each day she found herself adjusting more to her marriage. Employment at the canning factory filled her days and kept her busy.
A short time after being married she became pregnant. This was a slice of life that Rosa Lee knew little about. Sure, she had been around relatives who had given birth before, but she had no family experience with pregnancy. This was a dilemma that she would learn to adjust to just as she had done throughout her life. As the days passed by, she became more used to the condition of being pregnant. The couple was elated that they were having their first child. Mama did not stop working during her pregnancy. In fact, she worked until her delivery date was near. Soon the delivery date arrived and she had to summon a midwife to deliver her first child. Alphonso and Rosa Lee had great expectations for their firstborn. The couple looked at each other and jointly exclaimed, "God has shown us favor in sending this child to us."
However, neither of them knew that their happiness would be short-lived. A brief time after being born the child passed, leaving them very sad. In spite of the tragedy, they got control of their lives by accepting this fate as the will of God. They comforted themselves in knowing that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
This marked a summer of sadness for Mama. It eventually passed. The pain that tugged at her heart eventually departed, and her healing came. She realized that it was indeed a great blessing that she had been raised and trained in a Christian home. The source of her strength to endure her hardships in life was from God. His love had always been the source of her strength.
During the time of her travail and loss, she had met and befriended another couple of ladies who were experiencing trouble in their own lives. One of the women was young and going through a divorce. My mother sat down and told her, "Do not let this man cause you to let your children down, they need you to be strong for them. For now, you must be a pillar of strength for them." This woman's heart was broken. As usual, my mother was no stranger to helping the downtrodden and hurt. Over her young life she had gone through her own share of hurt and pain. But she had also been a pillar of encouragement to others going through their own battles. As she left that day, the lady thanked Mama, and stated, "Will you help me with raising the kids, because I don't know how to." As usual, Mama consented. "I will do all that I can to help you." All her life, she found herself ministering to someone in the middle of an ordeal. Listening to others with problems was not a novelty to her.
There was also another lady that she had assisted through hard times. This person was her sister-in-law. Times were very difficult for my father's brother. Unable to find steady employment, they had to rely upon Mama and Daddy to help support them. Somehow, they managed to provide support and assistance for both couples. Although things were very difficult and trying, the four of them managed through those stressful times. They were there for each other during the good and bad times. Family love bonded them together. Before long, my father's brother did obtain employment and relocated to Panama City, Florida.
In the winter of 1942, Rosa Lee discovered that she was once again with child. Having lost her first baby, she became a little afraid. But nothing could stop her level of excitement about expecting again. The days passed, and she delivered a very healthy ten-pound girl. In spite of hoping for a son, my father was elated that they had a healthy child. They named the baby girl Ruthie Lee. The birth of the baby united them closer together. Their struggles during those first few years had taught them to depend upon each other. Together the three of them made a very happy family. This child was indeed a blessing and Rosa Lee reasoned in her mind, I will not complain.
A short time later, a second child was born but did not live very long. Once again, Mama was challenged to endure another bitter disappointment. The year passed by. Memories of losing two children stayed with her for a long time. She occupied her mind with thankful thoughts that she had a healthy child in spite of her setbacks. Then, once again, the Lord blessed them with another healthy child. They named her Annie Ruth. No one could imagine that before long my father would be leaving and going into the military. This meant that Mama would have two children to manage alone. Not wanting to leave my mother and two sisters alone, my father relocated his family to Panama City, Florida, to reside with his brother, Caesar.
This was Mama's first experience staying with anyone since becoming married. Alphonso's brother and wife had depended upon them while they were located in Port St. Joe. Now the tide had turned, and Rosa Lee would be staying in their home. Being very independent, my mother did not want to stay with anyone while her husband was away in the military. Nevertheless, my father had insisted and said, "Lee, I do not want you all staying this far away from family." To avoid an argument, Mama consented and agreed to reside with his brother. Her final words on the matter were, "Okay, if it will keep the peace, I will go." She agreed to maintain harmony in their marriage. Even though she knew that it would be uncomfortable for her, she did all she could to fit in as family.
As time passed, she began to feel uncomfortable about being there. But being the spirited person that she was, she made up her mind to endure her assignment. Each Sunday, she would get up early and make sure that she and her two children went to church. Nothing had changed over the years; Mama remained faithful to God. She was determined that if God never left her, she would endure the trials and adversities of life. She contented herself with going to work and raising her two daughters.
The days went by quickly, but before long, a family problem that she encountered with her brother-in-law and sister-in-law caused her to relocate. A few months later she went to stay a brief period with her own relatives. Not long thereafter, her husband returned home from the military to learn that she had moved away from his brother. Disappointed with this arrangement, he went to get Mama and inquired, "What in the world led you to leave my brother's house?" My mother had no problem stating, "How could you fail to tell me about money that you were sending to your brother? I feel betrayed because you failed to discuss it with me, but your sister-in-law knew all about the money." She relentlessly pursued the problem. "How could you make that decision and never consult me?" Alphonso could only respond, "I did not see a reason to discuss the decision since he was my own brother." Disappointed, my mother saw this as disrespect of her and said, "You hurt me by not including me in a decision that should have been made together." Before long, they discussed the problem, made up, and moved back to a place of their own in Port St. Joe again. This was the first bumpy time the two had encountered since becoming married. Swiftly, they put it behind them and moved forward in their relationship.
Their stay in Port St. Joe did not last long this time. My father's older brother owned an old home place where he and his family resided before his death. His wife now owned the place. Daddy contacted her, and she rented the place and farmland to him. With money that Mama had saved from an allotment received while Daddy was in the Army, they managed to purchase equipment and supplies necessary to start farming. Since they both came from a long line of farmers, they had extensive expertise.
The place had been uninhabited and needed lots of work. Although it was an older home, this did not bother them because it was their own older home. It was located in the remote rural region known as Rise Creek. There were not any neighbors within a mile of them, but that did not matter either. No one knew how this place got its name. Lying in bed that night, Mama was elated. She said to my father, "Fonzie, this is our first house together and although we are just renting it, we can at least call this our little home." My daddy was tired from a hard day at the sawmill and replied, "Yes, this is a start for us, and as soon as we get this farm up and running, things are going to even be better for us." Mama agreed, and turned to him in the bed to say good night. By then, Daddy was already drifting off to sleep.
Maintaining the farm was very tedious and stressful for my mother. This caused her great pain at times. Nevertheless, determined not to give up on life, she kept to her busy schedule on their farm. During the day she would work in the fields along with Daddy and still raise her two girls. After working the fields, she would go inside and take care of her housework. No one would deny that she was one remarkable woman. Not only was she a great mother but an outstanding loving wife.
When they would suffer a crop loss due to poor weather conditions, she kept him encouraged. Further, she would stretch their already scarce resources in order to survive the tough times. She had observed her mother and grandmother take very little and bless the family and others tremendously. Making do with what she had was a way of life for her. In that old house, she gave birth to two more daughters. Their names were Clara Mae and Johnnie Mae. Rosa Lee now had four children to mother along with being Daddy's primary farm help. Although a little disappointed because he had no sons yet, my father was proud of his daughters. Each one added a special love in his life.
Life on the farm was both tiring and uncertain, yet Mama used to like to think of it as rewarding, too. Alphonso was farming and working at a lumber company in Caryville, Florida. The warm autumn days came and the beautiful foliage was golden brown, surrounding the white cotton fields and plush cornstalks. Mama loved the harvesting season, because they reminded her of the bountifulness of God's love and mercy toward her family. They had labored all spring and summer to produce abundant crops. God had shown them favor and sent appropriate sunshine and rain to water the crops. My parents were overjoyed at their blessings each year as they watched their crops flourish. Before long, they were able to purchase a Willis Ford Truck. The children were able to wear a few personal new clothes. My mother even purchased herself a new dress, something that she was not in the habit of doing. She would look out for her family and never spent anything on herself. This was the kind of spirit that she possessed.
Working busily in her kitchen canning, she thought to herself, This has been a blessed year for us. She was not a believer in good luck; what they got were blessings from the Lord. Right in that kitchen she started praising God. It had been a while since she had heard from her sister, Ellen Marie. Beginning to feel a little concerned, she wrote her asking that she please contact her so that she would know that she was all right. A few months later, correspondence came from her baby sister, indicating that everything was going great with her. Reading the letter, Rosa Lee wondered if her sister was telling her the whole truth.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from In the Shadow of Angelsby Charles Maldon Sr. Copyright © 2010 by Charles Maldon Sr.. Excerpted by permission.
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