Journal 4-Holding On Reflections

Augustina Martinez, who was a healer. This profile meant a lot to me because she is very humble about her ability to heal people. She does it out of wanting to help people and not as a way to gain leverage or money. I like that she also strove to clarify that she does not believe herself to be a "bruja", which I interpreted as a witch, "See, I work on the side of God. I'm a Catholic. I don't believe in witches. I hate them, because they make people crippled and blind". I think if more people were able to fully utilize their gifts in a way for the betterment of people the world wouldn't be filled with as much hate and intolerance. Furthermore, I really liked the end where she acknowledged that she felt this was her purpose in life.

The second profile that impacted me a lot was Father Louis H. Greving who was the Builder, Grotto of the Redemption. My favorite quotation from this profile is, "This grotto represents such devotion and such careful artistic workmanship. It's a fulfillment of a promise". That just resonates with me because I feel like this is the point in my life where I am really discovering the principles that I stand for and also what it is that I see being my purpose in life. I think its awesome that he found his purpose in something that he couldn't complete on his own and realized that sometimes we are a part of a larger picture.

Journal Four

Two profiles that stuck out to me throughout the book Holding On were Tommie Bass, the Folk Doctor and Dewey Chafin and his mother, Barabara Elkins, the serpent handlers. These two really stuck out to me because of the dedication and hard work involved in what they did. Tommie Bass gathered herbs and helped heal people by putting the herbs in the tea that he gave to the ones who needed it or asked for it. Themes in this profile were dedication, hard work, helpfulness, etc. Tommie Bass wanted to help others. He did not expect anything in return. He knew he was not a doctor, but he also knew that the herbs seemed to help people. He said, "Men, I'm not a doctor. Not even a son of a doctor. All I know is just what the herbs has done over the years." The other profile of Chafin and Elkins stuck out to me as well. These two people handle serpents as part of their job. They truly believe they are doing what God has set them to do. Chafin said, "The Bible says, They shall take up serpents, so I'm just doing what God told me to do." A theme in this profile was accepting. They had to accept that this is what God wanted them to do. Another theme was dedication because they said, "It's all up to God, if God wants me to live, I'll live." They have to have dedication to know this fact.
These two profiles really caught my attention because I really liked the way they showed dedication and hard work. Also, making a connection to today, there is a lot of hard work and dedication in our world. We have to work for the things we achieve; therefore, these can relate.

Journal 4

The two profiles that meant the most to me were George Preston and Hallie Stillwell. Those two really stood out in my mind because they both had full, entertaining, story filled lives. They were both older, and although their stories were short I wanted to hear more. I was very interested in their lives.
The biggest theme I can see within these to profiles that related to today world is a work ethic. Today, people my age will changes jobs between 6 and 7 times in our lifetimes. For Hallie she had many different jobs, but she had all of them for years. She ran a ranch after her husband died and has been writing for a gossip column since the 1920's! George has been working (and now owns) at the same place since he was a little boy. That gas station on Lincoln Highway is his life. There is a huge lesson to learn here, now a days young people don't have a passion for their jobs. Most of us are worried about the paycheck and what were going to do on the weekends. If everyone took more interest in their careers like these people maybe everyone would be more happy.

Journal 4

out of the many, many great profiles in Holding On, Moreese Bickham's, Hinkel Schillings and Shade Pate's profiles are most memorable in my mind. To start off, our criminal justice system is not perfect, it is just as prone to corruption as any other job. This was most common in the '40s, '50s, and '60s. Moreese Bickham was attacked by police and killed two while defending himself. He wound up in prison with a life sentence... This is not what i think of when i think justice. Then, the two old men who were the fox hunters, my family has deep ties with the hunting and sporting community. There is nothing better in this world than listening to a baying hound that is hot on the heels of a fox or raccoon.
Moreese Bickham's profile has a deep theme of religion. In these desperate times, i see more and more people turning to Christ in search of comfort and answers than i have in the past.
Hinkel and Shade both have a deep love for their dogs. we see this every day when we walk out the door and see someone walking or playing with their dogs. To many people, dogs are not just a pet, they're a companion.
In both of these writings, all the men have a passion that they hold onto dearly and as soon as that passion is out of their life, they might as well die. we all need to find these passions in our life to create a better home environment and in turn improve our relations with other people in our society.

Journal Four: Holding On Reflections

One of the profiles that meant the most to me in Holding On was Sylvia Rivera and Deputy Inspector Seymour Pine, Veterans of the Stonewall Riots. This profile meant a lot to me because it is such a big historical landmark for the gay and lesbian community. It also stood out to me because it was one of the few profiles where two people told their story and were basically "enemies" when it took place, but they came together and told both of their perspectives. They overcame their differences to share their experience. Because of the Stonewall Riots, a lot has improved in the gay community. Even though the gay community is still trying to pass certain laws and fight for more freedom, we have come a long way and I think that is a huge accomplishment.

Another story that really stood out to me was Dan Barlow the fundamentalist Mormon and mayor. I belive this was an important profile because it really opened up my eyes to the freedom of religion. I also think it's really important for society to see that arguments over religion are still very present in differnent parts of our community today. I liked Barlow's profile because it shared a lot of history. The author also shared with us how Short Creek and the community was afterwards. It shared insight on the aftermath which a lot of the other profiles didn't provide.

I believe both of these stories showed the theme of freedom. From someone's religion to someone's sexual preference and beliefs, having freedom of these choices should be one's own. I definitely think that both of these are presented and worked on in today's world. I don't think society will ever stop fighting for their freedom, no matter what that freedom entitles. Both of the profiles showed a group of people standing up for their beliefs and I think that is very powerful.

journal 4

The two profiles that meant the most to be were Tommie Bass the folk doctor and Jim Bishop the castle builder. This two meant the most to me because they both did something they loved and believed in even if they got no money out of it. There were a lot other profiles that was the same, i think i just like what this two guys did and found it more interesting. Folk medicine is seen today with more people trying to be green and more healthier, more people are turning to natural ways of cures. Jim bishops profile was about his dream to build a house in the mountains and how it turned into so much more. I think this because he did not just go for the normal, he went beyond and used his imagination. I think its important in today's world to use your imagination and not just stop at the norm expected. I don't think you would hear many people today say they are going to build a castle, they will just say they are going to build a house, and not many people would build it by themselves.

Journal 4/ Holding On

The two main stories from Holding On that meant the most to me was the one about Tommie Bass, and the other was the one about Lydia Emery. I like the one about Tommie Bass because he liked to help people. He was a man who was raised to believe in helping people even if that meant not making any money on the people he helped. He would've rather helped a little girl get over her illness rather than receive five dollars for doing it. He took satisfaction out of knowing he helped people. That is a trait in people you don't find a lot of today.

Similarly I also chose Lydia Emery because she was a lot like Tommie Bass. She was a doctor who helped sick people all of her adult life. She even kept the price of doctor visits the same even when inflation, and the economy started to grow. She made other doctors mad. I liked her for this. I think that more doctors should think like Lydia Emery. After all, you should become a doctor to want to help people. You should not become a doctor if all you care about is the paycheck.