I’ve mentioned before how much I Love My In-Laws, and how Ron was the bonus in the deal!!!! I’ve posted a few times about my incredible Mother-In-Law, Eileen, but this is my first post about my Father-In-Law, John. John passed away 27 years ago. He would have celebrated his 101st birthday this past March! As we just enjoyed a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, I couldn’t help but be grateful for John and Eileen, and all they have done for our family. Each year on Memorial Day it’s a Johnson family tradition to visit the graves in Morgan. As we sat at John’s grave, we had the opportunity to talk to our kids and grand-children about their Grandpa John and the life he lived. His life wasn’t easy, and was filled with many hardships, physical trials, and struggles, but John always had a smile on his face and a positive attitude about life.

John and Eileen are both part of “The Greatest Generation” – those who grew up during the Great Depression and fought in World War II, or whose labor helped win the war. Both John and Eileen grew up in humble circumstances. John’s dad was a tailor and Eileen’s was a rancher. In fact, it is John’s dad’s treadle sewing machine that Eileen still sews on today! Eileen’s father also served in WWI. He and his wife both worked at Hill Air Force Base during WWII, and were glad when the war was over so that life could get back to normal. Eileen’s grandmother lived to be just two months shy of 100, and she spent a lot of time knitting woolen socks and scarves for the men fighting in WWI and WWII. During these difficult times in our history, the country was united. Anything anyone could do to help the cause, they did it willingly with a happy heart!

The motto during the war years of “Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do, or Do Without” is one that John and Eileen patterned their lives after. Every aspect of American life was refocused toward the goal of winning the war, and everyone tried to do their part to support the troops. To this day, Eileen STILL saves and re-uses the bags the store-bought bread comes in. Tin-foil and Zip-Lock baggies get washed and re-used over and over again. She even saves the printed paper program she gets each week at church, tears it in half, and uses the back-side for scratch paper and grocery lists. Nothing ever goes to waste. If something broke, they didn’t just throw it away and buy a new one. They fixed it, or went without.

Looking back, Eileen talks about how she realizes now how they were not very wealthy, but they always had food on the table and clean clothing to wear.

John was eight years older than Eileen, and served in England during the war. He worked on the Norden bomb sites that enabled direct attacks on ships, factories, and other point targets from airplanes. Both the Navy and the Air Force saw it as a means to conduct successful high-altitude bombing. Like many WWII veterans, John didn’t talk much about the things he saw and experienced in the war. He just did his job, helped win the war, and came home to Morgan, Utah to live a quiet and simple life of service. There were many young men from this small home-town who never made it back, but those who did, never forgot the ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Today as we traveled to Morgan for Memorial Day, we drove past the courthouse where many were gathered to honor those service men and women who fought in so many wars. In THIS small town, honor and respect is STILL part of how they live their lives.

I don’t like to get deep into politics, however, I do feel a strong sense of patriotism and love for this blessed land we have the privilege of living in – The United State of America!!! The freedoms we enjoy today, are all due to the sacrifices of those who have gone on before us – many paying the ultimate price. May we live our lives in a way to honor them no matter what our political affiliation may be. Just as I have mentioned before in regard to what religion we belong to, whatever you are, be a good one!!! We ALL owe a great debt to the brave men and women who made it possible for us to have the choices we do today. May we choose to be givers of LIGHT, through the service we freely give to others, and may God continue to Bless America!

“In your morning prayer each new day, ask Heavenly Father to guide you to recognize an opportunity to serve one of His precious children.” ~ M. Russell Ballard

Love Ya, Les ☺

Serve

God Bless America, Land That I Love