Aunt Irene projected a loving glow back in '55

"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." - Mark 16:16

 

Baptism photos are certainly touching. The one you see here shows Ralph and Martha Williams with their fresh arrival into the world. So, that's yours truly in the arms of my beloved Aunt Irene. Irene was the wife of my blood uncle Andy. Andy and Irene are at center. You are likely to recognize my parents at left. 

We were city people at the time. My father became quite at home in the city environs after having grown up outside Glenwood. Mom grew up in Brainerd. Bless the pastor who you see at right: E.S. Hjortland. This was Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. Only recently did I get the bright idea to check on Central Lutheran via the Internet. Was most pleased to see that this ELCA church is doing a fine job with outreach on YouTube. I'd have to rank it at the top. 

I am not certain of the identity of the other person in photo. It might be family friend Chuck Closson. Just not sure. I had the photo scanned for sharing online because it represents Irene particularly well. I had seen this photo over the years and was always struck by her shining presence. She truly blessed my entrance into spirituality. 

I have retreated from the faith at various times, typical of my generation of the boomers, but at present I find a home in a Morris ELCA church. So this is destiny, then? 

Thanks for Del Sarlette who scans photos for me. Bless the memory of Andy and Irene. Andy and Ralph were among the five boys raised by Martin and Carrie Williams of Glenwood. I was never able to meet Martin and Carrie. Martin passed on from cancer when Dad was just a junior in high school. Carrie lived until 1949. 

My baptism was on May 8, 1955. My birth was on January 28, 1955. The three brothers of Andy and Ralph were Clyde, Joe and Howard. Howard I knew particularly well. He is the only one of the five to be buried at the Williams plot at Glenwood Lutheran Cemetery, with Martin and Carrie. You'll see a master "Williams" piece of stone there. Martin and Carrie with their modest markers are on one side, Howard and wife Vi on the other. 

The Williams family of Morris is represented at our Summit Cemetery with a bench. Feel free to sit a spell any time. Reminds me: I need to stop by, check for the occasional bird dropping. The monument is black! We have gotten compliments on it. 

My baptismal papers announce that I was "received into fellowship with the Lord Jesus through Christian baptism." 

Andrew Williams served in the Aleutian Islands during World War II. Ralph went far afield too, to the Pacific where he commanded a crew assigned to protect a merchant ship, an oil tanker. 

 

Lord, can you swing this?

I have recently taken to thinking that it's essential for me to meet Martin and Carrie in the afterlife. That's even if I'm not blessed to end up in as nice a place as my other family members and relatives. I have sort of joked with God that maybe I could just see Martin and Carrie through a pane of glass, and I could tap on it to get their attention - maybe we could exchange smiles. 

The adversity of the Great Depression was compounded by my grandfather's health decline and death. My father told about when his father first sought medical consultation. Medical people didn't have so many answers back then. Martin's doctor began his assessment thusly: "How's your soul?" 

I sensed that Martin's death was hard on my father. I located the Glenwood cemetery in the year following my mom's death. It was a moving experience, as I had no recollection of being there before. I suspect Mom felt that going there would be hard emotionally for Dad. I was profoundly touched seeing the plot. I had just attended the late afternoon Christmas Eve service at Glenwood Lutheran Church. 

The cemetery is not that easy to find in Glenwood. My first attempt at going there was based on a cursory Internet search. I failed. So I called the church one day and got straightened out. Look for a sign that says "Memorial Drive." In Morris there is no Lutheran cemetery. However the Catholics have their own place. I think young people find the divisions strange, and perhaps they find much of organized religion strange. Religion will need to adjust, IMHO. Not sure if it's up to the task. 

My father made me aware of Martin ad Carrie but didn't share too many details or tell many stories about them. My cousin Bob of Anoka told me it was the same with his father Clyde. So maybe the challenge of raising five boys with the Depression setting in made life rather less than colorful? 

My father was the youngest of the five boys and graduated from Glenwood High School in 1934. I assume this was the heart of the Depression. John Dillinger was shot that summer. Youngest of five boys? Perhaps Dad had to live with a fair amount of hand-me-downs, though he never mentioned this. 

I remember two places where we lived in the Twin Cities. One was a duplex in Minneapolis where the other unit had two young girls whose names I remember: Sandy and Linda. The other place was in St. Paul where we rented from snowbirds who left behind their cat, "Pepper," for us to take care of. Mom was scared of the cat! She didn't like going downstairs to wash clothes, 'cause Pepper would be there in a less-than-welcoming demeanor. So my family took to small dogs to have as pets. 

Irene looks at me in photo in such a shining way. I wish that look could have infused a little more success for my life's path. We all start out this way, right? With seeming unlimited potential and bound for numerous friends and joy? It never quite turns out that way for most of us. Such is life. Such is how God handles us, with love of course. We are flawed and subject to humility, thus we seek religion in our institutions of worship with God's love. "He knows every sparrow that falls." That was a favorite saying of the Sun Tribune cartoonist Del Holdgrafer. 

Central Lutheran Church, Minneapolis

It would be wonderful to visit Central Lutheran, Minneapolis, again. Such a grand building. My father had impact with his passion for music in the 1950s, and henceforth of course. He directed the Apollo Male Chorus of Minneapolis. He taught at the U of M St. Paul School of Agriculture when I was pre-school. The U of M was the rock on which he developed his talents. He had a lifelong association beginning with his freshman year on the Minneapolis campus. He got his Master's there too. 

His resume made me feel pretty insignificant. 

I have always written that the highlight was coming to Morris for the launch of the U of M-Morris. It seemed like a dream for a music man: being in charge of all facets of a college music department in the institution's first year. Everything! Does it get any better than that? Truth be told, I am proud of all the chapters of Dad's life and his music pursuits. I consider them equally impressive. 

In his mind, the baptism of his only child had to rank up there. Never mind that I would be headed down not quite the exemplary path as him. My forte ended up being journalism. That's for better or worse. And I'm proud of belonging to the ELCA just like my Central Lutheran brethren in the faith. 

God bless the memory of Andy and Irene Williams, and Martin and Carrie, and Pastor Hjortland. You did all you could for me.

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com