My Brother Is a Good Man

Sunday January 10, 1993

I awake feeling better. My chest doesn't hurt but I feel nauseous. I go down for a pancake breakfast. I don't really enjoy it but it fills my empty belly. I lay in bed all morning. Can't think of a reason to get up. Finally, I'm up, showered and made up by 1 p.m. I eat a hard boiled egg. That tastes good. I eat another. Later a cookie and banana. At 5 a.m. I ate a cup of yogurt.

I call Gary at 4:45. We go over to visit awhile. Frank helps them prune some rose bushes. We come home and order pizza. I manage to eat one piece. I still feel pretty good. I eat some ice cream later and go to bed at 11 p.m.

I met a women at church a few weeks ago and we had a nice personal chat. I told her about Mom and how I regretted not spending more time with her those last two years when she was sick. She told me when her sister got sick two years ago with cancer, she quit her job, moved to Missouri to be with her sister, and took care of her until she passed away. In January 1993 I was on maternity leave with my 6 month old son Derek. What would my life have been like if I had dropped everything to be with Mom in Simi Valley? Would I have been able to extend my leave or find another job? Would Mom have even wanted me to come down? Perhaps if I had known she would be gone in a few months this would have been the time to go down to be with her. Because she was always so upbeat and confident that she would beat the cancer, I believed her, and never thought it would take her away from me.

In spite of the fact that I lived 400 miles away, my brother Gary lived just 3 miles away in Simi Valley. He is such a kind man, a generous man, and very easy-going. I'm so glad Mom lived close to him so they could spend time together. We just visited Gary and Maria at their home a few weeks ago when we went down for a family wedding in Pasadena. I had not seen my brother for 6 months and had not been to their home for 5 years. The photo above was taken July 20, 2013 at the wedding which took place in my Aunt Cathy and Uncle Gene's backyard, as so many other weddings and celebrations have. The wedding was so fun and beautiful, but I especially enjoyed spending time with my brother and his wonderful wife Maria. I promise Gary to come down more often! Time passes so quickly, our children grow up, get married, move on. I read an article recently in Parade magazine about siblings. It talked about how important it is to be close with our siblings, for we share a longer history with them in our lifetime than another other person on earth. I'm so lucky my brother is a good and kind man!

Back to Pasadena

Saturday December 26, 1992

I awake feeling very sluggish. It's hard to get ready. We leave for Gene and Cathy's about 11 a.m. We will have lunch with them and leave mother so they can drive her home tomorrow. I'm really tired and my chest hurts by the time we leave at 3 p.m. When we get home I lay on the couch, chilled and ill all afternoon and evening.

It is about a 45 minute drive from Simi Valley to Pasadena and another 100 miles from Pasadena to Desert Hot Springs where Grandma Helen lived in her mobile home in a golf course community. Grandma was in her 80s by now but insisted on living independently in her mobile home. Her mother, my Grandma Johnson, lived a long life until she was 101 by walking everyday, and Grandma Helen enjoyed swimming every morning in the community pool. I think I have a little of both of them in me. I enjoy hiking, but I love to spend time in the pool too. I think I must have been a dolphin in a previous life!

Christmas Eve in Pasadena

Thursday December 24, 1992

We all sleep in and take it slow all morning. About 2:30 we leave for Gene & Cathy's. We have dinner there and all open gifts. Gene dresses up like Santa Claus and gives a gift to each of his grandchildren. All his family are there except Cathy and Brittany. Brittany has the flu. It's a lovely evening and I feel good. Guy, Lisa and Lynne make me feel quite special.

Mother does well. She's holding up real well and looks lovely after I curl her hair.

We eat turkey.



When I was a young girl my Uncle Gene & Aunt Cathy lived on Sierra Madre Blvd in Pasadena, right on the route of the Pasadena Rose Parade, which we watched from their front yard every year. In 1967 the State of California took their property by eminent domain to build the 210 Freeway. They bought a beautiful large lot tucked up against the San Gabriel Mountains in Pasadena and built a two-level house where many birthdays, holidays, showers, weddings and anniversaries have been celebrated over the years. In fact their granddaughter Alyson is having her wedding and reception with 400 guests in their backyard on July 20 this year. Alyson's parents Guy and Lisa Thomas, shown in the photo above, were married there in 1986.

Mom was close with her nieces and nephews, especially her niece Lynne, Gene and Cathy's youngest, who now lives in Seattle. She is pictured above with Mom at my baby shower in 1992. Lynne spoke at Mom's funeral. Such a beautiful spirit!

We Enjoy Being With Gene & Cathy

Sunday March 15, 1992

We're up and out by 10:30 on our way to Pasadena where we'll meet Gene and Cathy at the Doubletree Hotel for a travel show. We spend a couple of hours there, then go to lunch in "Old Town." We enjoy being with Gene and Cathy. We always have alot to talk about. After lunch we go to see Perry and Cathy and their new home addition. It's huge and lovely. It's not finished but soon.

We get home in time to eat dinner (pizza), get dressed, and go to Larry's square dance in Northridge with friends. Great fun! Then Bakers Square.

Mom's brother Gene Thomas was 6 years older than Mom, and they had different fathers, but in spite of the age difference, they were very close. Both Gene and his wife Cathy were attendants at my parents' wedding, and continued to be good friends with my dad after my parents divorce. They are good people, well into their 80s now, with lots of friends, and lots of great stories to tell of their world travels. The photo above was taken approximately 1950 around the time they were married.

It seems that no how matter how busy their days are, they are almost never too tired to go square dancing in the evening. Northridge is a 20-mile drive from Simi Valley where they lived, and Pasadena is almost 50 miles from Simi Valley. Both Mom and Frank seemed to have boundless energy.

Earthquake!

Friday June 28, 1991

Up early again to leave with the boat for Pollock Pines at 8 a.m. Frank leaves to get gas in the truck. I'm curling my hair upstairs at 7:45 when a 6.0 earthquake rocks me nearly out of my chair. Frank's mom called all shook up. Frank returns--he didn't feel a thing while driving. The radio says Pasadena was hit the worst so I call Cathy. She says alot has fallen from shelves. Luckily, according to the radio, no major damage except Pasadena, some old buildings.

We're OK with the earthquake and leave for Pollock Pines. It's raining lightly. When we get close to Sacramento, it really rains hard all the way to Donna and Bob's. Marck, Ivana and Heather are all there and we all have dinner lasagna.

The trip was fine except I'm achy all over from the walk yesterday. My back is still bothering me too. Otherwise, I feel fine.

The earthquake was later revised downward to a 5.8 magnitude. It occurred on the Clamshell - Sawpit Canyon fault, an offshoot of the Sierra Madre fault zone in the San Gabriel Mountains. Because of its depth and moderate size, it caused no surface rupture, though it triggered rockslides that blocked some mountain roads. Roughly $40 million in property damage occurred in the San Gabriel Valley. Unreinforced masonry buildings were the hardest hit. Two deaths resulted from this earthquake -- one person was killed in Arcadia, and one person in Glendale died from a heart attack.