Ok....this journey started years & years ago. I know.....how can something like this take years & years? W
ell, it did....It started when Jamie first came to work for me at Latch Key. I fell in love with her & then Jeff came to work.....then I fell in love with JOHNSON children!!!!!! They were great!
Then one day, I hear Jamie & Jeff talking about his missionary trip. HMMMMM.....missionary? Then I question Jeff about him & missionary work. He says that he is going on a 2 year mission & then I find out that Jamie & Jeff are Mormon. Whoa!!!!!! Step back!!!! I was a bit shocked.....cuz I was always told to stay away from anything to do with Mormon.
I was taught that Mormon's were cultish & witch craft. I was taught to never pick up or have in my home a book of Mormon. So, needless to say, I was shocked to hear that Jamie & Jeff were Mormon.
So......I start WATCHING them. For a long long long time I watched these 'little witches' while they were working. But here is the thing......as I watched, I think to myself...."self, these kids are awesome.....they are sweet, hard working, genuine"...
Then I find out about SEMINARY.....Whoa!!!! That these sweet 'little witches' get up at 5:00 am & drive all the way to Byron....every single day.... to go to 'witch school' & then they go to regular school & then to work for me after school. WOW!!! Dedication!!!!!
So, now I am watching them extra close.....I say to self..."self, these kids are NOT witches or occultish at all. They are loving & dedicated. Ok, now love is of GOD...hate or any evil is of the devil...They are God kind of people. Maybe wrong thinking God people, but God people. Hopefully I rub off on them in a right way. :D hehehe"
So, Jeff leaves me & Jordan comes in. Still watching & watching & watching & listening & listening & listening & watching. Oh & might I add that by my 3rd Johnson....I am head over heels in L-O-V-E!!!!!!
Now comes Donna. Wow.....now she is WAY different than her children. She is a "little" more vocal about things. So, now I really get to listen. I watch & listen to her interaction with her children. They say little things here & there & I ask 'what's that?' or I ask 'what's that?' Ok, these people are really good people's. They are definitely God people.
So... I LOVE the kids & this Donna girl, well....she & I become friends. She is cool....She is funny....She is smart.....
I really felt the connection to Donna start when Josh had his wisdom teeth pulled....Donna told me how to take care of him & she brought me these really big ice packs for him, then when I gave them back, she said that I could have kept them. Then our dog Shadow died in Sept. She was so compassionate.
Then....Josh was in a bad car accident in October. Donna was there again. She & April (aka. Ms.Roper) took over at school & told me not to worry about anything...and I didn't.
Then, Jamie was to leave us & go back to school. Her last day was Feb. 8th. I was going to hug & hug & love on my lil Jamie & send her away with lots lovin......but that didn't happen. The night before Jamie was to leave, I received them most devastating phone call of my life.....
It was 10:40 p.m. on Feb. 7th. My ex-sister-in-law called. She was asking me ?'s like....was I sleeping? did I have to work in the a.m.? Then she said...."Cheryl, I don't know how to tell you this"......then she pauses & I start saying "Pebbles...what's wrong...Pebbles..what's going on?" Then she very quietly says...."Doug died tonight" I flipped out!!!!!!! I threw the phone on the bed & started screaming & crying & crying & crying & praying to God to not let it be...NOT my baby!!!! NOT my little brother!!!
See,I was waiting for his call. See, I called him at 9:10. I left him a message. I told him to call me back. See, I was supposed to pick up my brother & his daughter on the 8th (Fri) when I got off of work. They were going to spend the weekend with us. Cuz that was the plan, that was the way we did it...When Dougie had Jasmine every other weekend, we had them over....I did his laundry (he would always say "Man Sherril..I can do my own laundry, my boxer's are in there", but the 'lil momma' in me wanted to do his laundry & use fabric softener & fold it nicely right when it came out of the dryer fresh & hot. I wanted to do these things for him), we ate together, we hung out...Uncle Dougie & Brian would cook. Jasmine & Auntie would play on the computer. Josh & Brian & Uncle Dougie would stay up really really late watching movies downstairs in their room & talking & laughing & joking (cuz my brother was one of the funniest people I ever knew, he always had us in stitches, he should have been a stand up comedian, he was really that good, we always said he was like Chris Farley).....so anyhooo......when I got Pebb's phone call, I thought it was Dougie calling me back.
Ok, back to Donna & the Johnson's.....my brother's death devastated me!!! It is the awfullest thing to every happen to me in my whole life!!! I have never never never felt that kind of pain before, and I pray that I never never never feel that pain again. My heart was ripped out, or so that is how it felt. Donna & April were awesome. They let me have time off of work & I didnt' even worry about anything at all....the job really never even came into my mind...
When I came back to work, I constantly talked about my brother & when I would cry...Donna would tell me it was ok & she would hug me. But she had to go to Idaho or someplace out west....she couldn't be there for me for a couple of weeks.....so she sent the elder's to check on me.
That was the most awesome thing that someone had ever ever done for me. I wasn't home when they came & David told them that they could come back & see me another day.
So I remember going to work & telling Jordan that his mom had sent the elder's over to check on me, but I wasn't home. I remember that his face got kinda a weird look. I thought maybe I embarrassed him or maybe he thought I was upset or something. Then I told him that that was the sweetest thing that anyone has ever done for me. That she cared for me enough, that because she couldn't be here for me & take care of me, she sent someone in her stead. I remember telling Jordan & that I almost cried cuz I was so touched that someone cared that much about me. That was awesome!!!!! Here's why....
See, I was tossing up between 2 churches. These 2 churches that I had gone to for the past couple of years on & off....I was trying to decide on 1. People at these churches knew me. Some of my 'good' friends were at these churches. Yet, these people NEVER emailed me or called me or anything just to see if things were ok. These people are on my myspace...they are on my facebook.....yet they didn't even send a condolence. Maybe they didn't realize how close & how much my family means to me. Thank God for Donna!!!! She knew.
So....that is how the journey get's to the elder's part. My future blogs will be about my elder's visits & the realizations that start happening for me/us.
This blog site is entitled OUR JOURNEY, lots of it is my journey & parts of it are about OUR journey as a family.
So, until next blog....be blessed my lovies!!!! Cheryl
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