Timeless Treasures

Chapter 1

TROUBLED BEGINNINGS

I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities.

Psalms 31:7

I WOULD LIKE TO START by telling you a little bit about my heritage; my mother and father. First of all, I was not raised by my mother and father but by another family who had taken me in. Therefore the information I am giving you about my mother and father are things told to me by them and others.

When I began to hear all they had to say about my life as a child during those years, I realized something I never knew. I was amazed that even before I was born, the devil had tried to destroy me. I know this one thing; the mighty, wonderful, guiding, protecting hand of God was there taking care of me and I thank Him for that today.

First I’ll tell you about my mother; Freda Johnson, who was raised in Louisville, Kentucky. She knew the city life well, that is all she had known. When she was old enough to go to work in the city, one of the first jobs she had was in an ice cream shop where she met lots of friends. This was at a time when she was trying to decide what to do with her life.

One day a young man came into the ice cream shop whose name is Ralph Rasdall. The way she put it, When I saw him, I knew I was in love. This nice young man caused her to forget about everything in life but him and they spent much time together getting to know each other. The more time they were together the more they wanted to be together. Ralph was not from the city but was raised in the country. They were literally brought up in two different environments but they still loved each other.

My mothers’ family did not want her seeing this young man because they had heard things about him; how he drank and was involved in things that were not good. They told her she should not see him but she would not listen to what anyone said. She thought he was a nice man who was good to her and she wanted to make her own decisions.

A few years later when she was old enough, she decided to marry Ralph. I found out when they got married, most of my mothers’ family; her mother, sisters, brothers and a lot of her aunts and cousins treated her differently because she had married the man they warned her about. She said the first few years of their marriage was the most wonderful time of her entire life and they were so happy. My father; Ralph, was a factory worker who had little education and didn’t make much money but they were very happy.

After a few years passed, Ralph started to drink and go out with his friends. My mother said she was left alone many nights and did not know what she should do. Things were not being taken care of at home as they needed to be, bills were unpaid and her life was coming apart.

She knew her family would remind her of what they had told her about Ralph, so to prove them wrong, she stayed and did everything she could to keep their marriage from coming to an end. But the drinking got worse and she just couldn’t handle it anymore. She had to decide what to do and said she realized she would have to leave.

During this time my mother had two children; Deborah, my older sister, and me. She knew we had to be provided for but did not know how because she was unemployed. Where would she go and how would she support herself and her two children?

The first thing she decided to do was try to get a job. If she did, then she could get out of this marriage and start her life over. She told me about the terrible struggle she had trying to find work and all she had gone through. I cannot imagine all those hurts and how she must have felt with two young children depending on her.

She told me a story I will never forget. When I was still in her womb, an illness came upon her and also amnesia. She did not know how she got it and couldn’t remember anything. The doctor told her the amnesia is sometimes caused by the illness she had as well as potential problems in an unborn child. This was true for me and I became clinically blind in one eye. When it came time for my mother to give birth, she realized the doctors knew something was wrong with my eye. They did everything they knew to do but nothing helped.

When I heard that, there was no question in my mind that somehow Satan knew God had a plan for me. At my birth, I don’t know if angels were there and knew I would be attacked in some way or not, but God watched over me and protected me.

My mother told me something I will never forget. At that time she was not a person who went to church, never talked about knowing Jesus or having a relationship with Him. When they brought me into the delivery room, laid me in her arms for the first time, she looked upon my face and said there was a quiet stillness that came within her. She heard something say to her, This child will be a minister, a minister for God. she said that was very strange and had never experienced anything like that before. You see, she never went to church and there was no member of our family she knew of who was a minister.

She never told anyone about that for almost thirty-five years until the day I found her then she revealed it to me. There was a reason for that and I will talk about that later. In later years she got involved in alcohol and a lot of things happened in her life she was ashamed of.

Satan did attack me as a child but God was still doing supernatural things to make sure I was cared for. I thank Him and praise Him so much for that. My mother and father were married at this time but she decided she wanted a divorce and was looking for work. She began to realize she could not take care of her two children and was so troubled, hurt and full of distress she did not know what step to take next.

The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.

Psalms 9:9

Chapter 2

THE BABY AND THE BURDENS

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28

MY MOTHER HAD MADE THE DECISION to divorce my father and look for work. She worked at some grocery stores and whatever else she could find to do. She told me that she, my sister and me lived in an apartment in Louisville, Kentucky. At that time I was about four years old and my sister was a few years older than me. Mother was getting very discouraged because the wages from her jobs were not enough to pay all of the bills.

She started going to bars, thinking she would meet someone there and wouldn’t be so lonely. My mother was a talented and very good tap dancer. One of the bars offered her good money to tap dance there and she thought this was a wonderful opportunity. This was the first time she had made enough money to provide all the things we needed.

When my mother worked, my sister and I were left with Helen, a wonderful lady who lived next door. She was a woman with a heart full of love who attended a Catholic Church and loved my sister so much she wanted to raise her. Helen knew this was not the kind of life we should have. But of course, mother would not agree to that, so Helen just kept babysitting us.

My mother continued working at the bar but her conscience got to the place that she realized this wasn’t the kind of life her children needed. But now she too was involved in drinking and with the men in a way she shouldn’t be and started going home with different men. Her life was filled with such guilt and she worried about what was going to happen to her children. She told me she decided to leave my sister with Helen and let her keep her for a while. She knew it was too much for Helen to keep both of us so she wanted to take me back to some members of her family. She thought if she had to leave me, she wanted me to be with her family.

I will never forget the tears in her eyes when she told me the things she experienced. After leaving my sister with Helen she continued her job working in the bar, but she wanted to leave and do something better with her life to prevent her children from being raised in that kind of life and environment. Her children were such a burden on her at that time; because of her lifestyle, she said every time she looked at us she thought What if they become what I am? I have to change my life.

Nothing better came along, nothing seemed to work out. She never went to church, never brought it to God and was still struggling with life, trying to handle it herself with all that she had. She thought there would be something she could do, some ability she had to handle it.

I’m sure all of us have come to that place believing we can handle life on our own. But you know God seems to always bring us to a place that makes us realize we cannot handle everything in life and we do need the Lord.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that he may exalt you in due time. (7) Casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you.

1 Peter 5:6-7

Chapter 3

THE DOORS OF DISCOURAGEMENT

Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.

Isaiah 50:15

THIS IS PROBABLY one of the most touching events of my life told to me by my mother that I seem to never forget. Mother told me that now, me being a little boy of four years old, she realized she had to do something with her life or do something with her children.

She decided to go back to the members of her family and tell them she wanted to leave me with the family until she could afford to do something better. She would try to get a better job, work on her life, and then come back to get her children. I have never forgotten the expression on her face and how hard it was for her to say the words as she told me the story.

She began going to members of her family, one by one talking to them, asking if they could take care of me until she was better able to. One door after another was shut and every one she asked to keep me said no, it was just too much of a burden to take in this four year old child. Her family reminded her constantly she should have never been with the man they had warned her of.

I thought to myself, Oh, my God, how many of us have been guilty of looking at somebody’s life because of what they have done and began to run them down, not knowing we have no right to judge. We do not know their hearts, we do not know when they want to change or when God wants to do something wonderful and glorious with them. The things that we say to them can be the very reason they become what they are. Their life can be crushed by our condemnation, while thinking we are doing something good. God help us if we do that.

One door after another was shut. I don’t know how my mother felt, but she continued going because she thought someone would eventually help so that I would not be left away from the family.

For several weeks she continued to go but no one would help. That is why I call this chapter The Doors of Discouragement. She became so discouraged at that time, she really wanted to give up on life itself, even thinking about suicide. The only thing that kept her from following through with it was when she would look at me, at my little face, she would realize something needed to be done for me.

My mother continued to dance at the bar but every free moment she had, she put in applications for a better job; nothing came along. She stopped putting in applications and decided to make this her profession, even if it killed her. Whatever happened, she needed to find somewhere for me.

A country musician, Romer, came into the bar where my mother worked. They began to talk and get to know one another. His band played at the same bar and they became close friends. She told Romer about her little boy and how worried she was not knowing what to do.

I know something you can do, Romer told her. My sister cannot have children and wants a child so bad, she would give anything if she could find a little boy and raise him. I will take him in my home and care for him while you are trying to look for work. I am willing to keep him for a little while and if you don’t come for him, I will take him to my sister. She will take care of him and not charge you anything, you will have someone to keep your child for a little while. If you decide to let him go, I know she will want to take him.

My mother said she didn’t know whether to be happy or sad, but thought it was her only way out. Romer took me and called his sister telling her about me. Of course she was so excited she did not know what to do. I was in a strange place with strangers and all I could think was, where is my mother? All of the doors had been shut. Have you ever felt like that in life? That all the doors have been shut? The Bible tells us that Jesus said, I am the door. I wish my mother could have understood it at that time and went to that Door. I know God had a plan where she could have kept me, she just did not know.

Friend, there are many people in the world today who just don’t know. You and I, as Christians, need to let them know. If you have an experience in your life that can help someone, share it. We can all learn from each other’s mistakes. I am so thankful that at least my mother was concerned enough and loved me enough to be sure I was going