The Autobiography of Ruth Tagg Caley

the street from me worked there. I asked him if I could please ride home with him as I felt ill.He said yes, so we got in the car and he said, “Mrs. Caley don’t ever get mixed up or have anydealings with an Englishman. They are really hard to understand.” I thought I’d better keep mymouth shut. I want to get home and he might let me out of the car. Ha. Ha.My left arm is quite normal but not strong. I can use it but I can’t sleep on my left sidefor very long and I can’t rake the lawn very good. I’m thankful I still have my arm. I’ve heardothers were afraid to use theirs and it withered up without exercise. I can carry a bucket of waterfor a few minutes and lift on wash days.The good Lord has been mindful of me. After I was left alone after John died, one night Iwas very nervous and Esther and Marge were asleep in the back bedroom (Esther was married toGrant but he had to go over to the Guam Islands in the service). I stayed up and awake because Icouldn’t settle my nerves. I got ready for bed and prayed for the Lord to watch over my homeand my girls who were sleeping in the back room. I had not told them what I had prayed for, theywere asleep. The next morning Esther said, “Mother, I must tell you something. Last night Iwoke up in the night which was very unusual for me. I saw a man standing over our bed. Hedidn’t frighten me a bit. He was so peaceful, like he was watching and protecting us.”Another time soon after John’s death, I was in the house all alone for the night and feltvery much alone in the world and needed to be comforted. I prayed for protection and I went tosleep. Just before being fully awake at dawn, I felt someone near in the room. I heard a voicesay, “We can go now,” as if they had been there all night. Another time I was cooking a roastand opened the oven door to look at it. Some of the grease must have dropped off the lid and hitthe flame. Instantly it burst out like an explosion and hit the ceiling and blacked the light globe.The kitchen was full of flame and smoke. I hollered out help, help. But no one was in the hometo help. But someone heard me, instantly the trouble was put out.I got to thinking that’s strange how it all went out so quickly. And I got to thinking whyme? It came to me that I had paid tithing on every check I had and sometimes twice. (Thechecks were payments on the home.) I was told by many widows “You don’t have to pay tithing,being a widow, on your husband’s checks.” Well I always paid tithing on even the churchwelfare checks. They gave me $60.00 a month until I refused to accept it after I got my own. Ihad only one answer for those who said they didn’t pay because they were widows. I said howabout the widow’s mite in the Bible? Also, the Lord said he would open up the windows ofheaven to those who kept his commandments on tithing and they would not have room to receiveit. Some people I know have said I’m spiritually minded. But I’m not ashamed of the Gospel ofChrist for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth, so the scriptures tellus. Paul said that – Romans 1:16.July 1976 – The last 20 years since I’ve been a widow has been a struggle but today, July7, I just sit here by the window and try to keep cool and write and watch TV. This yeareverybody is celebrating the 200 years America’s birthday bicentennial. I did not go out in thethhot sun to watch the parades they had a few days ago, on July 4 , or go in the evening to see theRuth Tagg Caley pg 54