Darcy Johnson

Darcy Johnson

Welcome to Christianity Oasis. This is Darcy Johnson from our Sojourn With Luz Leigh Collection. We hope you enjoy this enlightening reading and it helps you on your own be-YOU-tiful Christian walk.

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Sojourn With Luz Leigh

Darcy (Dot) June Johnson

Written by Sara Bartee - 03 October 2010

The call came early Sunday morning. It was Heather. "Mrs. Darcy died around 4:00 this morning. Marcus just called me." We were not surprised with the news of her death; but as with any death, we were saddened. Not for Darcy, whom we adults called Dot, because she is now enjoying eternal rest with her Lord and the loved ones who preceded her in earthly death. She is walking on those golden streets of heaven equipped with a brand new body ... no more twisted arm and non-working leg ...left this way following several strokes ... but whole. She is free to run and sing and be happy. We feel sadness for those family members and friends who are left behind. But, let's not dwell on unhappiness. Let us think of the many things Dot stood for ... things she did for others. Of course, I could not begin to list them all, but the following are some of them.

Many of her friends and acquaintances knew her through her profession as a nurse in a local doctor's office for many years. After retiring from that line of work, she began her ministry to the needy of our community. If Dot had received a dollar for every cake that she baked, she would have used that money to make more cakes. For years, in order to show her support of the local volunteer fire department, Darcy would bake her famous sock-it-to-me cake for the 4th of July fund raiser. Instead of slicing it and serving with the meal, the firefighters would include her cake in the live auction. One year that lady's cake brought $250. (My cake brought a measly $40 ... and that was paid by one of my sons.)

She also cooked food to take to the home of the bereaved or when there was sickness in a family. Or just when she wanted to show her love for someone.

Flowers! How many bouquets did that lady assemble? Some were small ones that could grace the bedside table of someone who was ill. Others were larger ones that would hardly fit in the back seat of her car. One special arrangement that my family and I will always remember was the one she prepared for Jack's funeral. She asked Tom go out to someone's pasture and gather a number three wash tub full of blue bells. Jack died in mid-July 1995 and the weather was so hot. But Tom, being the loving husband, did her bidding. She worked until the wee morning hours, making sure that arrangement was just right. We left the arrangement at his gravesite for weeks. During that time some of the seeds fell from the blossoms and the next year, there to again remind us of that dear friend, were some blue bell plants at the head of his grave. Jack and I loved blue bells and after this gift of friendship from Dot, I have learned to love them even more.

Dot was a faithful Catholic and reared her sons to serve the Lord in her church when they were young. As adults they still follow her leadership. As long as she was physically able, she would visit the sick of our community, sharing her faith. When the very old or very ill Catholics could no long attend worship at the church, Dot would share the Eucharist with them in their homes. This brought comfort to so many.

One of the things Dot regretted was when her health prevented her from attending functions in which her two grandsons participated, be it sports or swine shows. She loved being a part of their lives.

In Matthew 22:39 Jesus taught us to "love your neighbor as yourself." He also taught us the following in Matthew 6:3-4. "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

We will never know all the things Dot did for others, but I know for a fact what a good neighbor she was. For about thirty-seven years we were neighbors. Our kids grew up together, went to school together, and heaven only knows what all Marcus and Heather did together. Those two kids probably "cooked" enough mimosa beans to feed an army. As Heather sat by Dot's bedside last Friday, holding her hand, and talking to her for hours, she reminded "Mrs. Darcy" that it had been she who provided Heather with her first homecoming mum. Dot had selected a mum so that Marcus and two of his buddies could give Heather a mum. The three boys, about 12 years old, came walking down to our house with the box which held the mum. They presented it to her at our front door, and then turned to go out in the yard for a game of touch football. Heather hurriedly looked at the mum, handed it to me and ran to join the football game. Heather thanked Mrs. Darcy for that thoughtfulness.

Following my surgery several years ago, Dot would call each night just before bedtime to be sure I was ok. She would then watch to see that my lights were turned out for the night, assuring her that I was safely in bed. I appreciated that.

As long as she was able to drive, Dot would honk the car horn as she drove past my house. That car had the loudest horn I have ever heard. While talking to Heather on the phone Saturday morning, someone pulled up across the street and blew the horn on their truck. Heather heard the honking and said, "Momma, that sounds like Mrs. Darcy going by." The horn blowing was her way of saying "Hello, neighbor."

So today I say "Goodbye, neighbor, until I can join you on the other side. If they have swine shows in heaven, save me a seat because I know you will be there."

The Hardee clan will always love that sweet lady.

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