Light in a Dark Place (ePub)

think about.
I'll never forget the newspaper boys in the middle of the night running around in the neighborhood yelling the scary news: WAR DECLARED. To me, the seeds then were sown for what we are seeing today. Patriotic women, in their noble efforts to help out in the war, began working out-of-the-home in factories making, I suppose, explosives and equipment (women in pants became the vogue). That is the biggest seed I find planted for the present day sad degradations: living together without marriage, divorces, nudity, profanity, abuse, unisex (is it a man or a woman?) so-called gays, and all that we view on television, which was not in our homes then. Unheard of (to me) were divorces; I heard about one my junior year involving a teacher in high school. My senior year I heard of someone having a baby un-married; also, about two girls publicly carrying-on with one another, not to mention of not hearing of the drugs in schools as it is today: killings, abortions, broken homes etc. in our world that our children are undergoing as I speak. Not that immorality and evil were unheard of, but it was by far not the norm. No wonder the Bible says, "The whole world lieth in the wicked one." I John 5:19.
Naturally, that is true since Adam and Eve's sin, but in our beloved country, the Lord blessed us so exceptionally in its beginning, it has been heartbreaking the gradual decline in the last so many years, with TV speeding the downward trend, spiraling beyond our wildest nightmares out of control. As I reiterate, as usual, that abomination that we brought into our homes in the 1950's is one tremendous perpetrator our adversary, Satan, that old devil, has tickled himself with delight as he sits back and laughs, and laughs, not lifting a finger. He can easily rely on us to succumb.
Picking up my thoughts of having graduated at Leaksville High School in 1945, soon entering Elon College (now a University) in Burlington, North Carolina, my time there was cut short after my freshman year by getting married to Joe W. Chandler Jr. at eighteen, in 1947. Then, my husband was accepted at the new school of pharmacy in Laramie, Wyoming. Several months after our marriage, we took off. We had a ball on the 2000 mile trip in our jeep with canvas doors flapping and bees flying in and out being swiped back and forth: "you take them, no, you!" My sweet Dad, hugging me goodbye before we left, informed me in our packed-solid jeep, and knowing we were broke monetarily speaking (latching onto the G.I. Bill), "Betsy, these will be the happiest years of your life." He was right. Even near poverty the three years we lived there, we always remember with the greatest enjoyment. Joe had three jobs; I was secretary to Dr. David O' Day, head of the pharmacy school and completely enamored by it all. The hardness of it (homesickness, and I had never worked for the public before), was overcome by the thrilling newness of our life together and the many friends we enjoyed, and fascinated with Laramie itself; later, and above all the most cherished event, our only son was born there.
Joe (husband) had graduated from Leaksville High School at the ripe ole age of 16, in 1942 (his smarts caused him to skip a grade). Before that, a junior in high school, he served as a page in the Rockingham assembly two consecutive years, and preceding that the big newspaper bang!: At 12 years old, he was, and I quote, "editor, publisher, advertising manager, reporter and columnist of the Weekly Star, a mimeographed newspaper which he sells in Leaksville."After his high school graduation Joe attended Oak Ridge Military Institute, (Old) Wake Forest school of Medicine, the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, and following that was on a tour of duty in the U.S. Navy Air Force. Whew! It's a wonder to me now how he wedged-in our wedding day, don't you agree? Even then, he built us a small house that we lived in just a few months before heading out west, renting it on our departure. [Right here I wish to pause a moment to highly brag on my dearest husband]: eventually, a licensed pharmacist, a newspaper tycoon at 13 years old, (picture included, started his own news paper the year before), an amateur photographer, a licensed carpenter, airplane pilot, real estate agent, hearing aid specialist, and probably licensed in something else I have forgotten. Joe never met a stranger, had a wonderful, caring outgoing personality. How I miss him.
Finally, in 1950, a full-fledged pharmacist! We were elated to be back home with our adored and adorable several months old son, Joe W. Chandler III, even then a real cowboy. We happily settled in our hometown, Leaksville, North Carolina (now Eden). Five years later my most important happening in my entire life occurred and took precedent over everything: I was saved on Sunday night after church service, July 3, 1955 at home on my knees, transforming me into a new creation in Christ Jesus; old things passed away, all things become new, and I dearly love the Lord Jesus that He so loved the world (John 3:16). But most of all, that He so loved me!
The Lord miraculously added two precious girls, Beth and Lisa, to our family tree when our son was fifteen. Joe III graduated at the University of South Carolina on a football scholar-ship, now a busy certified public accountant. His sisters, Lisa married after two years at Jerry Falwell's (Baptist) Liberty University, and Beth graduated in nursing at Bob Jones University.
Without my husband these last almost five years has been very sad and hard; at the same time, rejoicing. The Lord helps wonderfully in time of need; however, Joe and I were married sixty-three years. The Lord has helped me tremendously, directing my writings and keeping me busy. We now have been blessed with ten awesome grandchildren, and fifteen great-grandchildren, with one on the way. The ones of us who are saved serve a wonderful risen Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Because He lives, we live also.