Julie Thut (Burden):  

Hi Friends! Well, as you probably know, I graduated early so I could get married in May. I married Steve Cox. He graduated Newark High in 1969. He was in the navy and we had to move to Charleston, SC. We were married for 6 years, and, with an 8 month stay in Virginia, had a Wonderful son. We moved back to Charleston, where we lived for 5 years. We got a divorce, but remain very good friends. I married John Burden, who worked at Sears at the same time I did! Love at first site! We lived in Charleston for another 8 years. My father got Cancer; non Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I felt very strongly that we needed to get out there to be there for my mom & dad. John & I lived in Sugar Pine, which is due east of San Francisco, in the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. We lived at 4500 feet, among the clouds; it was SO Beautiful there, and peaceful; it was truly God's Country, as my Father told me when we first got there. My father passed in 1990, and I had my first back surgery in 1991. 7 years after dad passed, and my mom was all set up in her new home, I felt that feeling again that John's parents needed us. They were both 89! Then we began to get letters from John's brother, telling us how John's Mom & Dad were getting around(Driving). Dad Burden had one eye, and maculer degeneration in the other. Mom Burden was telling dad where to turn, when to stop, etc, etc. Something kept telling me that we had to go back, and take care of them. So once again, we packed our bags, leaving our beautiful house in the Sierra Nevada's, and all our furniture, etc. and moved back to South Carolina, Anderson this time, and tried our best to take care of them, and keep them out of a nursing home. I figured we'd be out here for, what, 2-3 years?! Well, the family has great genes; they lived till the ripe old age of 97! We were full time caregivers till Mom was 94 and Dad was 97. By then, we couldn't ...Expand for more