1. SHE WOULD OFTEN DESCRIBE SOMEONE AS "TOUGH AS NAILS".  I BELIEVE SHE MEANT THAT PERSON COULD HANDLE PRESSURE.
2. SHE ALWAYS ADMONISHED ME TO BE 'WISE AS A SERPENT BUT HARMLESS AS A DOVE.'
3. IF I COMPLAINED ABOUT BEING BULLIED OR A RELATED SUBJECT, SHE WOULD ALWAYS TELL ME TO "IG - EM" MEANING DON'T LET THEM GET THE BEST OF YOU JUST IGNORE THEM. 
4. SHE OFTEN CAUTIONED ME ABOUT 'FIRST CLASS DEMONS'.  AS A CHILD I THOUGHT IT MEANT EXTREMELY EVIL PEOPLE.  IT'S ONLY AS A MATURE ADULT I HAVE STARTED TO UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF THIS STATEMENT. NOW I'VE ADDED TO THE DEFINITION, SOMEONE WHO CAN PASS AS A REAL CHRISTIAN. 

The other day I saw a lady bug on a box I was bringing into the house.  I immediately flashed back on my grandmother's lessons.  One of her lessons was about lady bugs. Momsey kept a garden and would ask me to pick some veggies from time to time. She always taught me that lady bugs are lucky and when one lands on you it means you will be lucky.  As I child she always saw them on me and she would say, " lucky, lucky, lucky you are very lucky."  I fondly remember feeling very special and lucky. 

Throughout most of my life I have always felt lucky.  Not in the sense of winning the lottery but in the cards I've been dealt in life.  Thanks Momsey for chanting that mantra, "you are lucky". 

Rukiya

Momsey told me the story of her husband's aunt who lived in San Berdadino, Aunt Elizabeth Looper. When she died Nellie had to travel to LA to help close the affairs, she brought me(RL) too. "California, she said is  where you (RL)  first learned to walk"...no wander we both ended up here at the end of her life. 

I was so blessed to grow up in a family that liked to travel.  Sometimes by bus, often by train we took our annual two week  trip to California.  Going from one end of California  to another:  Los Angeles, San Diego and Oakland.  Along the way we stayed in hotels, visited family and friends and took in most of the tourist destinations and of course several days at the beach.  The fabulous four always had an exciting trip.

One time the three of us went to Tiajuana to see a bullfight.  Nellie's daughter, my mom, Marian was an avid reader and studied all about the tradition and  educated us before we went down to Mexico.  She was mostly concerned about Nellie being tramatized and me being scared.  Well  once the bullfight got started, Nellie was excited to see they served beer, I was facinated with all the Spanish I could understand and Marian was too squeemish to watch and wanted to leave early.  We all had a good laugh when we got back to San Diego. 

I have so many fond memories of traveling with the fabulous four, time does not allow for me to expound of the all.

Family photo taken in front of the Nebraska homestead circa 1910.  Nellie is in front standing next to her mother, Mary Ann.  Names written on the photo.

Today is Nellie Ruth Cherry's Birthday, she would have been 106 today.  But she is now enjoying herself on the other side in Glory.  

by Margaret Cagle

Dear Nellie

I still miss you a whole bunch. But when I stop to remember how many family, friends and neighbors you now fellowship with, I am happy for you.  God's balm of Gilead has continued to heal and strenghten me to deal with your transition. 

I often laugh about things you used to do.  For example, when you came home from church and kicked off your shoes, told me to close the curtain and took off your Sunday best to walk around in your slip.  You really taught me how to relax. Thank you

I still think about your phrase, "watch out for first class demons."  That statement was a mystery to me until I got older and began to realize what you were really saying to me.  Now I keep my eyes open and my mouth shut when I am around them.  Bless you for that wisdom

I don't know how you stayed to strong but I hope that I can recieve that gift from God.  Love you

GOD IS LOVE

Today is August 29, 2012. 

This is the first birthday I celebrated for Nellie in heaven. 

I need to share a few of her thoughts on the Gospel.  These are things Nellie used to say all of the time.  Only after getting older do many of them make lots of spiritual sense.  

#1  You only have two things to do in this life.  Do you know what they are?

A soul to save and a God to glorify.  

#2   Always be careful of those first class demons.  Now I get it!

She was telling me indirectly about the wolves in sheep clothing.  There are some folk who can make themselves look like Christians but in reality they are demons who know the Bible real well. 

#3  In many of Nellie's books I have found the same words written over and over.

God is Love.  Study the Bible daily.  God is Love Always.  God is Love forever. 

#4  Her Gospel can be summed up in three words.  God is:  Omnicient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent.  Now that is Theology summed up by Nellie Ruth Jenkins.

Traveling was usually a family event. We often traveled to LA, San Diego and Oakland.  Even though we lived on a modest income, traveling each summer was our family treat.  Often out trips took us to Disneyland, Sea World, San Diego Zoo and the Beach.  All of us had lots of fun.

My grandmother brought me out to San Bernadino as a little girl to close out the house owned my her husband's aunt.  She told me that I learned to walk in California.  And I am still learning to walk.  

I am a lifelong friend of Ruthann's. We were students at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and we were both Resident Assistants (RA's) for our floors in the dorms. I met Mrs. Jenkins when she came to visit and check up on her Granddaughter. That is when I learned of her growing up in Nebraska, my home state too. She was very proud of her granddaughter and stayed in her room. She had just one simple request...purely for medicinal reasons to help the digestive system (a similar reason my own Grandmother gave) and that was for a glass of beer before bedtime. So along with another mutual friend, we headed out to purchase a six pack and smuggled it  into the dorm for Mrs. Jenkins. She was much fun and enjoyed playing cards in Ruthann's dorm room. I met her again at Ruthann's graduation along with Ruthann's Mother and sister Cherlyn who was a cute 11 year old. I had the privilege of attending Mrs. Jenkins 100th Birthday celebration and read some of the stories about her growing up in Nebraska in an isolated and rural area with harsh winters and hot summers. I could relate. Her love of life always came shining through every situation and every visit. We all sang her favorite hymns on that birthday and she loved and sang each and every one. Ruthann and Cherlyn as to be acknowledged for their loving care in making the move from Denver to California. Mrs. Jenkins was happy and loved  and included in their lives. I am honored to have known such a remarkable woman whose life spanned the 20th century. What an amazing life. I know in my heart without reservation that she is in heaven, looking down on her family. God Bless.