p. 93
With love and respect,
Your grandfather Shoen,
L.S.
body was exhausted.  I was 
getting up at 4:00 A.M. to 
milk cows and run bottles of 
milk to people’s door steps 
from a delivery truck.  Then 
I went to school and raised 
hell at recess.  My parents 
had a general store and I 
did all sorts of work in 
connection with it.
     I got sick one night 
about 11 P.M. after boxing at 
what was called a “smoker”.  
This was held at the Wood-
man of the World Hall which 
was designed for basketball, 
wrestling, boxing etc.  A 
smoker was when all the adult 
males gathered to watch the 
young boys wrestle and box.  
Kids from about my age to 
twenty performed.  
I was exhausted at the end 
of my match.
     When my dad got me home 
I went to bed and stayed 
there about four months.  
I was miserable.  My joints 
swelled up and were very 
painful.  I was given lots of 
cod liver oil.  I can’t re-
member aspirin being used as 
it is today for this malady.  
My dad carried me everywhere. 
Even to the toilet.
     I have done many things 
these past three years.  
First I took classes at UNLV. 
Among these was a swimming 
class.  I walked every day.  
I read all sorts of books on 
mental therapy in an eff ort to 
modify my behavior.  To slow 
myself down.  To learn to 
just be.
 
But my personality won’t 
tolerate this inactivity.  
So I spent several months 
going to real estate school 
and studying late into the 
night.  I took the National 
Realtor’s Exam for brokers 
and passed with a grade of 
84 percent.  Pretty good 
considering it was a four 
hour exam and very detailed.
     Remember life is dif-
fi cult.  Maybe you have not 
experienced this much so far. 
But you will know this before 
you are twenty.  I pray that 
you are well now and that you 
have a good tenth year.  
God bless you.

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