On My Angels Wings

By Joanna Walls

spelling of the title is On My Angels Wings

Joanna Walls was born and raised in the mid west.
While attending Indiana University majoring in English and Journalism she was invited to visit the west coast on a semester break. As a result of this invitatiion Joanna became a permanent resident of South California and finished her education in nursing and after graduation, Joanna became a Pediatric Nurse for an OB/GYN which opened a whole new life instead of Journalism until retirement. She has written three books about her many years in Nursing and in Forensic Medicine. Science fascinated her to study all of the research on the Alzheimer Disease and experiencing it with patientJoanna wrote a book about her patients.
The On My Angels Wings book is a 60 year reflection of her adult life, in medicine, adopting children and married to a professional baseball player. Home Health Care with abused and neglected patients left footprints in her heart.

my grandpa said, angels
will toss a penny down
when an angel misses you
They will toss a penny down
sometimes to cheer you up
to make a smile out of your frown.
So dont pass by that penny
when youre feeling blue
it may be a penny from heaven
that an angel has tossed to you!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 3, 2010
• ISBN: 9781453521649

Book preview

MY DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to my three adopted children:

Joy Leigh, Jonathan, and Andrea.’

It was God’s plan that we had these experiences

as a family from the day of their birth,

and through their formative years.

My children are very much a part of this book,

and they will be in my heart forever.

I am grateful that God gave us those years

for our emotional growth and inner strength,

through all of our traveling, eventually

to understand these experiences and

be able to live our own separate productive

lives with God’s Divine Guidance.

ON MY ANGELS WINGS

Under His

Wings

You Will Find

Refuge

Psalm

91:4

Joanna Walls

Copyright © 2010 by Joanna Walls.

ISBN:          Softcover                                 978-1-4535-2163-2

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4535-2164-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

81398

PREFACE

These stories are about the sixty years of my adult life. I have walked in the fullness of knowing who God is, and His love. His word has inspired me to write these stories to tell you of His perfect plan for each of us. God opens doors of opportunity, and He closes them when He is ready, or it is time for you to move on to His next plan. God closes doors no man can open and God opens doors no man can close. Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but the moments that take our breath away.

God honors His promises. He is a faithful God, and a God who loves us and has our best interests always. He knows that our best interests require a waiting period or a dismissal, which is sometimes hard for us to understand.

As I was approaching my 80th year of life on this earth, I reflected back to my three encounters of near death and wondered why I was spared. I began to realize He had productive plans for me. I took an inventory of my life, and it first appeared at age 47 that God began guiding me for His plan and the reasons my life was saved each time thereafter. God led me to a profession caring for His own loved patients who needed His help and mine. God thus saved me for the help I could give to others who were being abused and in the need of the skills that I was being trained by His master plan for His purpose.

I spent the next 30 years with God’s chosen patients. He closed the doors when it was time for them to be with Him. I offered them peace of mind and finally some happiness before God decided it was time for them to live in Heaven. God is good.

Amen

Contents

PREFACE

GOD’S DIVINE CONNECTION WITH LIFE

A PERMANENT LESSON LEARNED

WITH ONE IMMATURE DECISION

THE EL CAPITAN TRAIN EXPERIENCE

THE WEST BECKONED MY RETURN

FRIENDSHIPS ARE SENT FROM GOD

THE JACKIE COOGAN BABY STORY

MY DESERT VISIT

CREATED A PERMANENT MOVE

SURVIVING AN AUTO ACCIDENT

WAS GOD’S PLAN

DECISIONS MADE TO START A FAMILY

GOD IS THE AVENGER

GOD HAD HIS PLANS FOR MY FUTURE

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

GREED LEADS TO A FOUR SCREEN THEATRE DISAPPEARANCE

DISCOVERING GOD’S LAW OF LIFE

THE DOGGY BAG STORY

WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND

GOD AVENGES A CRUEL ACT

GOD ANSWERED MY KNEE MAIL

THE DEFINITION OF CLASS

SIXTY YEARS ON ANGEL’S WINGS

MY ADULT LIFE WHILE ON MY

ANGEL’S WINGS

Under His Wings

You Will Find Refuge

Psalm 91.4

JOANNA WALLS

GOD’S DIVINE CONNECTION WITH LIFE

FROM BIRTH TO TEEN AWAKENING

The Lord longs to be gracious to you;

He rises to show you compassion.

The Book of Isaiah

GOD’S DIVINE CONNECTION WITH LIFE

While I am speaking of my life experiences and moving along with my memories, sometimes it will appear I am repeating myself because each experience relates to the last one so it will move along smoothly. The reminiscing at retirement age gives you a smooth ride in one’s mind to gather and enjoy your memories.

God never shuts one door without opening another. He keeps you moving on for emotional growth.

When you have read how many doors were opened and closed for me you will then understand each experience is as God had planned, and you will learn without a doubt, they are all Divine Connections.

Your Mother had plans for you, your Father had plans for you, your teachers had plans for you, and you too, think you have plans for your future.

I found that one had better be aware, alert, and ready for the next step, no matter what it is, adjust and accept the obvious changes as they happen, learning from each one and moving on to the next door that is opened. If that plan doesn’t work, step aside and move on and say ‘next’!

I have thought about my life, and it took sixty years to come to the realization that it is all there in life, for the taking: what ever you want, take it or leave it, however, better check with your higher power ‘God’ and make sure He approves of the new venture. If He does, it will all work out as He had planned it. Then, when you look back over the years and recognize your thoughts you really will know who was in charge, who showed you those opportunities, opened those doors, closed those doors, and moved you onward.

Hopefully, you were able to grow with wisdom, understanding and learned to forgive yourself for your mistakes and let go.

I found that if it were a situation I couldn’t handle, or make it work with a proper change, I would turn it over to my higher power. God is the Avenger. Anyone who mistreats you He will take care of them in His time.

Limiting your growth doesn’t bring you to a new level for learning and growing.

I was born with a musical heritage, Mother was going to see to it that my talent was going to be exhibited wherever she sought fit. My father was a professional musician who appeared on stage at theatre’s, radio stations, state fairs, and private parties. He played every string instrument, his fame was ‘Tiger Rag’ on the banjo and he also had the first ‘American Hawaiian Quartette’ in the mid west.

My piano lessons started at five years old with the nuns at our Catholic school.

The dancing lesson began at six years old with a dancing instructor who owned the dancing school. Mother and I attended every single musical movie that came to our neighborhood movie house, especially Shirley Temple’s movies. We would sing and dance the movie over and over at home, even while walking home from the theatre. Mother decided I was a Shirley Temple double, and that was my future she had it all planned.

Every time we had visitors at home, I was asked (whether the visitors liked it or not) to perform for them. What a showoff, Mother was. A stage door mother was her nickname.

I kept waiting for the guests to throw money, cookies or something, no, they just applauded, to please my mother. I often thought why doesn’t she play the piano for them?

There is an interesting story I was told about the night I was born because it truly was my introduction to the plan God had for my life span. It was the beginning of many unexpected events throughout my life that explain and describe the opening and closing of doors in my future that God created. It was the beginning of being ‘On My Angel’s Wings.’

Today I am aware of His decisions of my daily and future happenings, if you do not have the faith then you call it being lucky or being unlucky, whichever one you may choose the outcome is already planned by God’s master plan for you.

At the time I was born, the doctor who was attending to my mother was on staff at a hospital that had sent the wrong babies home with new parents. My parent’s had been married over ten years at this time. When the labor pains began Mother told Dutch to call the doctor and to bring a couple of nurses with him as she was having her baby at home, and not in that ‘irresponsible hospital.’

Prohibition was present and because people were not going to night clubs my father decided to have a temporary night club in his basement. He built a dance floor, a stage for the musicians, and a bar for a bartender. He had tables with plaid table clothes and matching plaid curtains on the basement windows. This was all for any visitors who cared to stop in for a cocktail, snacks, dancing and entertainment.

When he had a request for his musical group for a special event, or a private party in someone’s home, the ‘speak easy’ was closed.

It was very successful. To enter, there was a password and a person was positioned at the back entry to our house. When the person was inside they would go down the stairs to the basement area which was a mini night club with bar, a stage, and a dance floor.

I was born at 5:30 P.M. on a Friday night at home and by 7:30 P.M. the basement was bursting with music, voices, singing and excitement, according to my mother.

The story was told that when the nurse and doctor announced to my father he had a healthy baby girl, my father called all of his musician friends, clients, customers but forgot to call the police. They all showed up to show their love and happiness for a new baby born, maybe just an excuse to get together to dance, laugh, sing and have a drink.

As the party continued, a knock at the front door was ignored because of the noise down stairs. The police walked around the house, following the noise of the celebration. This was a very large three story house, and the police found the side door. They knocked again and of course the person on duty looked through a small window and saw the uniforms. The door was opened immediately and the police came in and announced the neighbors had called the police station complaining about the partying and that ‘the house was bursting with music, voices and obviously a celebration.’ They were investigating the complaint.

My Dad said to the policemen I don’t know which neighbor called because I thought I had called everyone including all of the neighbors. The police took my Dad down to the Palmer Park Station and to the Chief of Police. His name was Captain Brown. I was told it was like a court room with white large balloon type light bulbs on each side of the high bench and the Captain sat behind this huge bench.

The Chief of Police looked over the complaint, looked up at my Dad and he said I understand your neighbors were complaining about the loud music and laughter coming from your house. I recognize your name, I have heard of you. My wife and I have seen your group perform. yes sir! Dutch responded while smiling. The Chief continued do you care to offer an explanation? Yes Sir I do, you see your honor sir, my wife and I have been married over ten years and my wife had our first baby this afternoon, a girl, and I was so happy I called all of my friends and neighbors to come over and celebrate our new arrival. The Chief said Congratulations, my wife and I have four children, I know how you feel, when our first baby was born we celebrated too.

They talked for awhile, they discovered they had a lot in common including their choice of religion. The Chief was a Catholic. After about an hour of conversation Dutch said, your honor would you and your wife give us the honor of being my first born daughter’s GODMOTHER AND GODFATHER? The Chief was so touched, he told the officers to take Dutch home and he declared CASE IS DISMISSED and everyone was to return to the party and enjoy yourselves. My parents had no immediate family members locally.

My Godparents were Captain Steve and Louella Brown. I spent each holiday with them because they had four children. It was fun to visit them with the games we played together. My own grandparents on both sides of my parents lived out of the state.

There were many stories growing up at home but the one story of the day I was born, I decided this was my introduction to life and the choices I will have, with all of God’s creation’s and His plans for my divine connection with Him in my future.

It began with a robust welcoming with friends, neighbors, laughter and a lot of music.

The doors that are opened during life’s journey with God’s Plan becomes a full circle for your journey in life. I have learned if you do not walk through the door He has opened for you that is an opportunity, He will close the door and send you on your way to another opportunity, while you are wondering what just happened. You are sent to an open door of opportunity that is your ability in His eyes, but it is up to you to succeed or fail.

Be alert and ready to move onto the next door opened, hopefully you have learned something that God had planned for you to experience for your growth. I am living proof of it.

My first story you will read I learned a valuable permanent lesson, which the door was opened for me and I failed but it was a valuable lesson I needed to learn for my future.

I grew up with music, laughter, friendships, a loving stable household with a stay at home Mom and my Father, who was a performer with a sense of humor, intelligence, high morals, ethics, and honesty.

Consequently, I was expected to continue with all of my musical education and training to perform. I did recitals, concerts, played the piano for the group for our school dances. I performed at our school amateur plays or a musical talent show, I even had some command performances in high school.

When I went away to Indiana to go to college, music was not my first interest. I had an interest of being a writer. I was an English/Journalism major in college. I had written a column for the high school newspaper, I wrote feature articles, interviewing celebrities in the musical field when they appeared in downtown Detroit, using my father’s name as my ticket to go back stage.

During summer breaks from high school a girl friend and I would go to a little farming town in Ontario Canada where the H. J. Heinz canning factory was located. One week end I said to my friends I am going to find a job and stay here in Canada for the summer.

I found a room with a family who had two sons in the war, and one son at home in high school. The lady of the house told me she always wanted a daughter. We connected perfectly at the time when I was sixteen years old and she remained in my heart until she died fifty years later.

I worked in the H.J. Heinz factory, sweeping floors, labeling canned food, tailing baby food, and some times I worked in the fields. I could drive a truck and a tractor. I drove the tractor which cultivated the potatoes. I drove the truck to carry our vegetables to the barn.

We cut celery, picked tomatoes and strawberries. We had the job to separate the weeds (marijuana) from the tobacco plants. All of those weeds were thrown into the trash bin.

I told Mother and Dad I was swimming and staying with a family. Whatever money I earned I gave to Mrs. Mat for my room and board and she packed a lunch for me each day that I worked. It was the truth and my Dad could never picture me as a farm worker.

I came home at the end of each summer when school resumed, until high school graduation. After graduation I did not return to Canada for that summer.

I boldly announced one day I was going to Indianapolis to visit my Dad’s sister. I planned it that I would take some classes at Indiana University. I packed a suitcase and I casually mentioned I didn’t know if I would be home for Christmas at this time. It was shock time for my parents, stating I may not be home for at Christmas time.

I had no idea what was in store for me at school or even out in this world in another state away from my grounded secure family life style. I had no idea what was forthcoming.

At this young age, and inexperienced, Christmas was too far in advance to plan anything. Spontaneity was my motto, be ready at all times for a change, as the saying goes: one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready and GO! for it.

I didn’t really have a goal for anything in particular other than experiencing life each day as it came. I knew music very well, and it could have been a career but I wanted something else. I thought of writing because I could use my imagination for stories. I had not experienced anything enough yet as a teenager to have a real imagination with some flavor.

My stable, Christian, loving home life which was certainly not boring, it was truly exciting if you like people around all of the time, with laughter, musicians practicing, writing songs, and exchanging their idea’s for a song. They wanted to write, practice, and be ready to perform and be on call. I did not witness alcoholic behavior or any disruptive behavior amongst any of the musicians, my Mother was a musician also.

While I was in college I decided maybe a job would add some spice to my life while learning how to write. My father was upset when I told him I wanted to work, he was actually insulted that I did not ask him for more spending money. He said with dignity I have enough money to support you and anything you want, why would you want a job? I said in defense you don’t understand, it is called INDEPENDENCE Daddy. I am growing up and need space, I don’t mean to insult you, I am not that comfortable asking you for extra money because I have an allowance, however, thank you for your generosity and all that you do for me. A job teaches me another part of responsibility that I need for my own sense of accomplishment and a reward for doing the job, do you understand that much?

He agreed but I think he thought he was losing me to that big ugly world out there and as long as I depended on him, he was still protecting me from whatever was out there.

I always felt that if I am my father’s daughter with his guidance as I grew up, his integrity, principles, ethics and dependability as my peer I would survive anything. I never wondered about myself and my ability to perform in any endeavor. It was the other guy that I had those doubtful reservations as to what they were capable of doing and their sense of dependability or responsibility if you depended on them.

I had not learned to depend on anyone other than my own family.

In my second semester in college my introduction to the business world was with Sears, Roebuck and Co. I worked in the office for returns and complaints, not sales. The employment office thought I had the skills to do management and that I could handle any returns or complaints. They had big plans for me in their future.

I did well, to the point they gave me a raise in salary after a probationary period, and gave me more responsibilities, such as in quality control.

I went home at Christmas time to spend the holiday with my family. I found other students at school who lived in the same area where my parents lived and I gave them gas money to let me ride with them. It was also a semester break at school.

I met some high school male friends who had graduated, at a party and they told me they had been discharged from the navy in San Diego, California and decided to stay.

They were living on the beach in a cute beach house near Manhattan Beach. They liked it so well that it was suggested to me ‘When school is out why not take a trip out west to visit us in California? It is better than living there in the sunshine than with snow in the winter here.’ Little did they realize ‘That invitation was my future in God’s plan’.

The door for school was going to be temporarily closed I decided and ‘A wide open door was being opened by God.’

I went back to school for the semester, and worked at Sears until the middle of the next fall semester. I was casually looking through the ad’s in the school newspaper and an ad jumped out and bit me it stated ‘need someone dependable to drive my new car to California, all expenses paid please call Pennsylvania 65000’. If you are old enough you will recognize that telephone number. It was a famous song at the time, late 40’s and 50’s, if not ask your Mom.

I called, and made an appointment, I dug out my driver’s license and prayed. I was a good driver because I had about five years experience by this time while learning to drive a pick up truck with a stick shift on the farm, a tractor, and our family car.

We went through the motions of an interview, references etc. The man believed me, trusted me and gave me the keys to his auto. I drove out of town at sun up.

I called my father’s sister who lived in a little town fifty miles south of school and told her what I had planned to do. I went to her house first and she packed a lunch for me, enough for a couple of days on the road, and I had enough money for a soft drink or water.

I forged ahead with no fears of any sort. I knew of no physical or mental trauma’s at the tender age of nineteen I basically had no fears. We had no TV news stations to tell us daily about murders, theft, rape, beatings, or government disagreements. I was not exposed to any unethical behavior, foul language or any negativity. My friends had ethical standards also. We had a TV, but it was all musical and comedy shows. The commercials were telling you where and how to buy a refrigerator, which we called it an ice box.

I had no anxieties or ideas to fear anyone on the road, everyone I knew at school, work, friends usually were quite helpful and pleasant. I decided I would save the money I was given for expenses such as a motel and food. I had a plan. This was a brand new four door Cadillac. I thought I could sleep in the back seat of the car on the street of a neighborhood. I carefully planned my meals (sandwiches), a drink, and gasoline costs.

It took me four days to cross the good ol’ U S of A. on the famous Hwy 66, that Nat King Cole promised a fun trip. I wired the owner each evening from the town I would be spending the night, to tell him I was safe and moving along with no problems thus far.

The map pointed me to Los Angeles, then south west to Manhattan Beach. I found the address Jack had given me easily enough. I was sure he didn’t expect me to take him up on his invitation, I thought what a nice surprise for him.

I parked and his cottage was truly on the beach, the street was a dead end in a few feet at the sand and sea (water). It was a cute beach cottage, with open shutters for the sun and its warmth, and the front door had a double dutch door, the top part of it was wide open which was open enough to see a small entry room to anyone who may want to enter.

It certainly was open to a visitor who just traveled 2,000 miles on the whim of an innocent invitation why not visit us when you are out west? I smiled as I knocked and I thought to myself ‘OK, I did just as you suggested, Jack’.

This will be a major