Rising Above: Walking in Love, Through Challenges, Interesting Life Experiences

By Mary Ann Swiftly

Mary Ann as a bubbly, happy three year old suddenly becomes sad, feels withdrawn from family and becomes very shy, alone.

Mary floated through life, doing as she was told, not understanding many things, although she worked willingly and silently. Her Mom had a mental illness and Mary faced some too, but read how she moved on and was rewarded.

Larry sees her from way across the room at a Grange meeting and they are introduced by his Dad. She is seventeen. Soon her life begins to blossom.

Marys story is an active, interesting, fun, depiction of their lives together, even though they faced financial challenges and separations. The steps in life were challenging, but they have created a strength in Mary that she is grateful for.

She loved to cook creatively and shares some of her recipes.

Mary wants to be an inspiration by sharing her life and faith, hoping to lift others up.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Aug 17, 2018
• ISBN: 9781489718549

Mary Ann Swiftly

Mary Ann has many fine qualities, a pleasing faith in God, a smile that captivates others. She is a hard worker, likes items in place and her yard and her home clean and neat. She loves others, everyone and enjoys visits so much! She loves to sew, cook, bake. She can draw and paint. And she loves to keep learning. She is happy to share with you.

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Copyright © 2018 Mary Ann Swiftly.

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This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Life Application Study Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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ISBN: 978-1-4897-1856-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-1855-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-1854-9 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018908485

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 08/16/2018

Contents

My Dad

Mom

Mary Ann

Mitzi

Moving Time

Summer 1946

Our Home in Oroville

Moving to Pomona Avenue

Our Family Ranch

Harvest Time

What A Monster

Oh, My!

All Those Dishes!

The Dairy and Farm Animals

School Days

Grange

Meeting Larry

Larry, His family and I

Our New Beginnings

Army Days

Our Trip to New Post

Our Home in Lawton

Our Daughter, Anna

Going Home

We were only there for one year.

A Home to Buy

A Wonderful Experience

Kellogg Ridge

Back to Oroville

Visiting Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle

Anna, School Age Now

Changes

God’s Touch

New Beginnings

Northern California Coast

The Pink House

Anna & Adelbert

Anna joins the U S Air Force

Buying a Home

Harry

Larry Discovers a Job He Loves

Sharing Our Home

The Park

Arizona

Kenneth

Hawaii

Florida

Germany

The Wagon

Adelbert & May

Mom and Dad

Trip to California

Trip to Colorado

Canon City

Cripple Creek

Back to Arizona

Grand Junction

Places to Visit

Back in Arizona

Touring Arizona

Canon City

Christmas Time

Visiting Tin Cup

Back Home

School and Literacy

Our Senior Years

In a city, a large city at the time and even larger now, on a beautiful spring day in March, a child was born to John and Sue Barker. A daughter! They named her, Mary Ann. That is me.

My Dad

My Dad’s young years began on a reservation in Globe, Arizona. He was one of ten children. He lived on a reservation until he was four years old (1910) when a grandmotherly lady, Mrs. Barker from Los Angeles came to adopt him. Home in Los Angeles to lead a new life, Dad discovered after Mrs. Barker’s scrubbings that his feet were really a different color; that was the dirt coming off from being barefoot for so long. He had thought it was normal for his feet to look like that. He did not recall ever having a bath until coming to live with Mrs. Barker. Dad only remembered certain things like recalling that it was dusty and hot. Now in Los Angeles they led a busy life, moving often, but Dad was able to keep up with his studies while attending college and even traveled the world with his best friend, Jon. My sister and I remember the story about the cream puffs in a Switzerland bakery shop; they purchased every one and enjoyed devouring them.

Dad mentioned long ago to my sister April that he and his attorney tried to find out about his biological family, but their efforts were met with hostility. At that point Dad said he had no desire to trace any more history.

During one of our trips to Arizona, my husband Larry and I traveled east to Globe. We enjoyed the drive over there, and as we reached Globe I was so intent on finding more information about Dad that we didn’t take the time to enjoy the scenic beauty of the area. We visited a bookstore and learned about the community of Globe. We were told where the tribe had lived in those early years (1906), and we were able to drive there to view the mountain at the base of which had once been a stream.

While in Globe I was able to fill out some papers to find out more about my Dad. We did not receive any more information, and we came to the conclusion that Dad had been one of many children who had not been accounted for. I wasn’t able to glean any more information about Mrs. Barker. I do know of wonderful antique furniture which is being enjoyed in our home as well as nieces’ and nephews’ homes. We enjoy a beautiful octagonal sided lamp table with short lattice sides and a very intricately carved stem, legs and feet. The lamp that sat on the table through all of my years at home was a lovely vase Dad made into a lamp when he had his lamp business in Los Angeles. It had a gorgeous lamp shade that tapered out and had ruffles at the top and lower edge. One day while visiting Mom and Dad, I told them I had always admired the lamp and the table together, and Dad said, It’s yours. When we received the table and the lamp, the shade was missing. I asked my sister where the lamp shade was, and she explained that because of its age the fabric had deteriorated, so they threw it away. I said, Did you save the frame? No, they had never thought about that. I was thinking the old frame could have been recovered creating a stylish shade like the original. As I write my story we did find a beautiful, eight tiered lamp shade that flares like the original with wide scallops on the bottom edge.

I was three and April was a baby when Mom took us in the baby buggy to Dad’s lamp shop to spend the day.

Mom

My Mom was one of three children born to Jonathan and Mazie. Aria was the oldest, born in 1909. I would like to have known her, but she died of a broken heart when she was only twenty-one years old. This was because she was not allowed to marry the young man she cared deeply about, as he stuttered. Many years later, Mazie and Anita, the youngest daughter, saw the man in Los Gatos, a town where they used to live. He was fine and no stuttering was apparent. Mom was born in 1912, and she was only five when her Dad passed away. Anita was born in 1915. She did get married, but chose to have her marriage annulled. Thereafter she lived with Grandma Mazie.

Anita wrote a little book when she was in Junior High. She wanted Aria to come out and play, but Anita tells us in her story that Aria preferred to stay in the home and make clothes for her dolls, embroidery and read. Anita loved having cats always around. She tells of one who scratched and he was taken to a kitty shelter.

***

I adored Grandma and Anita and looked forward to their visits with excitement and love all through my years growing up and as an adult. Mom and Dad decided we didn’t need to say Aunt Anita because we lived so close and saw each other often.

Anita was a fantastic typist and had wonderful jobs. Friends, employers, and others were so good to her. I remember she was given a bouquet of carnations; that was so special to her.

***

I remember a very special evening Anita invited me to attend with her. I was probably eight years old. It was going to be a street dance and there were a couple of small tables on which unique items were displayed for sale. It was fun and exciting. My purchase from that evening was a pendant created from plaster of paris that has an inset of apples and leaves, a short looped cord, and a black bow. I used to wear it at the neck of a blouse. Mom and Anita were slender, attractive, beautiful ladies with very fine morals.

Mary Ann

I began life as a bubbly, happy child. Anita told me that, but she didn’t say anything else about my upbringing. When I was three years old, my sister April was born. The maid adored her and Mom and Dad came to feel the same way. I was able to recognize the adoration and felt that their feelings toward me were swept away. I didn’t understand. This created a sadness that stayed with me as I grew up. I can remember a situation when Dad spent time at the crib and as he walked toward the door said, Good night, Mary Ann. I was saddened because he didn’t spend time with me. I remember getting a handful of raisins and going out onto the back porch cement steps, smashing the raisins with my shoe and eating them. My feelings were encased inside of me. I could not talk about my feelings or what I witnessed.

My family had a nice, big house on Shenandoah Street in Los Angeles with a wide expanse of lawn that rolled to the sidewalk. Pansies were planted under the big front window. I would sometimes just roll on the lawn toward the sidewalk. The backyard was big too, with a garden and areas to explore: a sandbox; a playhouse. One corner of the back yard was full of tall Oleander bushes. We have a picture of April and me having a tea party out by those tall bushes. I was not allowed to play with the little girl, my age, next door because my parents didn’t like her smart- aleck attitude.

Once I heard Mom and Dad talking about a check for a large sum of money they had received and how they were going to put it in a safe place. I do not remember taking it off the dining room table. I was three; I only know this story from hearing it told as I was growing up. They must have searched and wondered about the check. They finally asked me, and I went to the edge of the carpet in the dining room, lifted up the corner and pulled out the check and handed it to them. I had heard them say how important it was, so I had put it in safekeeping.

April and I planned a great game; we moved some furniture into the very wide opening between the living room and dining room to make a perfect circle. Then we were running from davenport to chair, etc. around the circle. What fun, how exciting! We got caught! April was sent to our room. My punishment was to sit down and write 100 times how sorry I was and that I would never do that again. I was eight years old.

That incident may be the reason, in my mind, that I have been saying I’m sorry about so many things all my life, thinking I have hurt people’s feelings. People are always so kind and don’t see the need for my apologizes.

Mitzi

One day Dad brought an open, brown grocery bag into the house and had us come. He set it down and we looked in-a little kitten! Oh! We named her Mitzi.

Moving Time

One day I discovered a huge moving van parked very close to the front of our home. Movers were loading furniture into it because we were moving north to our new home in Oroville. I asked if the dining room table and the beautiful chandelier were going with us and was told, No! I was so disappointed! I was nine, almost ten.

Summer 1946

To give Mom and Dad time to settle in their new home and community, April and I spent the summer with Grandma and Anita. Grandma taught us how to write letters home to Mom and Dad. We colored but when we fought, Grandma picked up the coloring book