Within four days, I have had two funerals for family members. The first was that of my Grandma's on my Mom's side. The second death happened the day after my Grandma's funeral. It was Earl Johnson's funeral. A relative on my Mother's side. There was a big crowd there. I'm guessing a lot of employees of his, family, friends, and friends of friends. He was a well known man! The speakers at the church gave great tributes (memories) of his life. It is said that he worked a full day, the day before he died. He called one of his daughters and told her that he was tired. He went to sleep, and did not wake the next day. His co-workers went to his house and found him in the easy chair and in his slippers. He had the courtesy to not bother any of his family with his troubles. He knew, or at least thought he knew, that he wasn't going to make it through the night.
My impression of him, based on the crowd, the stories, and the testimonies, of his life given today, was that of a very hard worker, someone who didn't accept any slack, but was loving to his family and very protective. A story from the life of Earl Johnson was: There was a split between the land of the US verses the land of the Indians. The split went right between the river nearby and his factory. Earl had to keep the water away from his factory. He built some sort of structure to keep the water from flooding it. The indians would tear it down, claiming that it is their land, and they could do whatever they wanted with it. Earl built the structure with a large piece of farming equipment. The indians would again, and again, tear it down. Eventually, Earl took his farming equipment and placed it under their equipment and raised it off the ground, to where it was impossible for them to use it. They wouldn't be able to get any traction from the wheels because of Earls sacrificing actions. Somehow Earl disabled his vehicle in someway and sacrificed it for the ability to keep the water from his factory. I am not sure, but I think that the indians could not afford another vehicle. Earl, on the other hand, could afford a new vehicle. So, in my perception he sacrificed his vehicle so that he could save his factory. It was a great story about how adamant, and dedicated Earl was to his family, and to his work to support his family.
There were a ton of real old fashioned cowboys, and cowgirls at the funeral. People who had ranches with free range cows, which would get fatter and better than corralled cows. The cowboys came in jeans, a nice shirt, and a cowboy hat. It was good to see a lot of hard working people as apposed to the slew of workers in the city. The city workers seem to have no ethics, no thought of dedication to ones jobs, or lively hood. The ranchers and cattlemen had a sense of life vs. death, better ethics, true family values, and carried a different attitude (or spirit) than those in the city.
I was just speaking to a porta-rican, at a local, family owned, restaurant called, "Tamales." We were talking about family values, respect, and passing on our knowledge to our younger siblings. We also talked about how disrespectful and sad the people in America think about the Mexicans or Porta-Ricans. In Porta-Rico they all love each other, look out for each other, and respect each other. In Mexico, it is the same, but as soon as they cross the border, they are looked down upon and, may I use a scripture now, "Trodden under feet." (Isaiah 28:3). As stated in the scripture, WHO ARE WE TRODDENING? The answer is that we are troddening ourselves and our Christ. "Even if ye have done it unto the least of these, my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matthew 25:40). I would assume that because of all the bad press that has been written, spoken, and displayed about these wonderful people, we are hesitant to trust them. That is simply about 1% of their bad eggs from their lands. The rest of them are loving, caring and grateful to come to America, or stay in their own lands to keep their family close.
I think that I have met my quota for the amount of deaths in the family for the next year! I hope to not see any one of the elderly in my distant, or close family, pass away until twenty years from now. As some of you know, I have my own sad story, and wouldn't like a repeat. Ever.
Earl Johnson was a great man! May he live forever in peace and happiness in heaven!
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