The Heart, The Soul & The Guts of Victor Bidwell!
I Remember Victor (1911 - 1996)
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endless ways. None of the girls expressed a healthy love for each other. Their constant physical fighting made bruises and drew blood. The emotional abuse they inflicted upon each other scarred them from a healthy, happy youth of peace and joy and from establishing the maturity of judgment and the wisdom they may have otherwise had. One girl went full-fledged insane.
Victor Bidwell died owing no one any money and having nothing but an old car worth a few hundred dollars to leave to the 4 sane girls. Victor's own repair shop and tow truck business supported them all his years. And then, he sold The Barn to Roy Lee in order to finance his last 10 years, living at The Barn until he died. Victor, however, could not be called a "successful businessman" if your standards are financial security and the accumulation of modest assets. His great downfall was to become a living legend in Mt. Vernon, known for his "well-below-the-going-prices" repair bills and for attracting people who would not or could not pay their bills. Every year, he wrote off $10,000 in "bad debts," money he could not collect from people who took advantage of his Depression Mentality and who really could have afforded to pay or from people who could not pay but needed their cars fixed and got them fixed at Victor's expense, anyway. In short, Victor financed these 2 types of people with his own sweat. And he refused to ever hand these accounts over to a collections' agency. Not wise business.
One of Victor's daughters, Cora Jane, made the seeking of money one of her prime-motivating forces. Victor saw Cora's daughter, Karen, marry into one of the 10 richest families in the world. Her wedding dress cost $10,000. Victoria was not invited. And Cora married a rich man 20 years her senior. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Victor, who lived on the edge of poverty all his life, was now holidaying with people so rich, words cannot describe it! He was getting fitted for white tuxedos and flying to his Homeland Sweden and walking on top The Great Wall of China! The rich daughter wanted him to live with her back East, but Victor wanted to stay at The Barn and was, he confided in Victoria, quite frankly, fearful of Cora's emotional instability and disquieted by the vain displays she put on wherever she went and her frightening treatment of people. Cora never handed Victor any serious money. He did receive Social Security and occasional gifts and allowances from Cora. Since Cora despised Victoria for reasons Victoria cannot even recall, Cora never passed one dime of her fortune to help her with The Great American Health Revolution. But Victor did put a roof on Victoria's trailer living quarters and replace a costly heating system and give her some cash amount, all 3 gestures of which amounted to $10,000 money he could not have donated to The Cause without Cora's occasional allowances.
Victoria was helped another time by Cora indirectly, again this time through Karen. A year after Victor's death, Karen showed up at The Barn unexpectedly. Cora's hatred for Victoria had successfully kept the 2 of them apart for the last many years, despite a deep love they had shared years earlier. But that November of 1996, Cora could not hold back the momentary renewing of their memories. Karen wrote out a check for $4,400 so that Victoria could have the very best hearing aids technology had to offer. Victoria had been nearly deaf for 12 years.
All the while that Victoria had been working to help Health Seekers, Victor had been asking Catherine, another of his daughters, to help Victoria. To help her whenever she could. When Catherine sold one of her group homes, she was able to fit Victoria for a $3,000 bridge and dental work. When Victor knew he was dying and Catherine lamented she still owed him $7,000 and he may not live to see it repaid, Victor told her: "Don't worry about it. I would just want to give it to Victoria and her work, anyway. Try to help her someday." And you know what? She did! And it was all because of Cora again! Indirectly, Cora was going to the rescue again! Cora and her daughter select individuals every year to "rehabilitate." Some of these selected people are relatives, some are complete strangers set before them, never is one Victoria. In 1998 and 1999, it was Catherine's turn. They sunk a total of $140,000 into Catherine and the woe-begotten financial situation she had gotten herself into. Never did they actually hand cash money to Cat. But they did pay off bills and make new purchases. When the rehabilitation had run its course and Cora's treatment was unspeakably cruel, Cora and Catherine parted bitter enemies. (A true story so rich in intrigue and dysfunction, a screenplay writer could make a best seller with it!) Cat, against Cora's wishes, then surreptitiously refinanced her home and took out $5,000 and gave it to Victoria. Victoria and Catherine, since 1998, have reunited at deep levels. Catherine became a Christian in December of 1998. And the 2 of them have formed a bond that provides a feeling of family for Victoria to this day. And always, the 2 of them talk about Victor Bidwell and his love for The People and of Ida Bidwell and how she prayed for the family without stopping. They affirm their love for The Lord with each other and encourage and counsel each other to do the right thing.
Victoria found Natural Hygiene and received her vision for helping The People create "A Healthy America" and heard her calling in 1976. She tried to rise to the vision and the calling but found it impossible and lived through nearly 10 Godless, thrill-seeking years until she was brought to her knees one night when alcoholic cowboy nearly beat her to death. The event that led to her near deafness. In 1986, Victoria founded GetWellHStayWell, America! Victor watched with great pride and interest. This pursuit of Victoria's was certainly the highlight of his life! All his good qualities he has successfully passed on to Victoria in her character-building youth and formative years were now surfacing like an endless underwater stream of bubbles let loose from a deep, grand pool! It took Victor several years before he jumped on The Wagon and practiced Hygiene himself. His health improved tremendously. You have read his story in The YearBook. He had often boasted that his life had been extended at least 10 years upon his lifestyle change. And he thrived in great health, right up until his last few months, when his bone marrow quit making red blood cells.
Upon his reading of The YearBook in 1990, he called to tell Victoria that he felt like he was reading his own writing! And, indeed, without Victor Bidwell for her father and all her experiences with him and love for him during her formative years, she would have had neither the soul nor the drive to persist in these last 14 years of sacrifice as the self-proclaimed leader of The Great American Health Revolution. It should be noted that
