Man who is blind, former city attorney now friends via Meals on Wheels – Press Telegram
Ernest James, a senior citizen who is blind, broke into a broad smile last week when Bob Shannon walked into his apartment as a Meals on Wheels volunteer.
James, 83, was thankful for the beef teriyaki meal that Shannon brought him, but he appreciated even more the close friendship the pair have developed in the past few years.
“He is a very caring person; he always looks out for me,” James said of Shannon when I tagged along on Shannon’s weekly visit to James.
Shannon, who was Long Beach’s city attorney from 1998 to 2014, has found out that serving as a Meals on Wheels volunteer is much more than just delivering food.
“When I left the city, I wanted to do volunteer work for an organization where I could make someone happy by helping them one on one,” Shannon said. “Meals on Wheels allows me to do that.”
Shannon has exceeded his expectations by delivering meals to seniors every week for nine years. He has developed a close personal friendship with one of them. That, of course, would be James.
“I love his smile,” Shannon told me. “He’s always smiling.
“He is amazing,” Shannon added. “If everyone in the world was like him, the world would be a better place than it is.”
MOW, meanwhile, brings out the best in everyone it touches, Shannon said.
“It makes you a better person,” he added. “I get as much out of it as Ernest does.”
Bill Cruikshank, MOW’s executive director, said James’ face lights up whenever Shannon’s name is mentioned because of the many things the former city attorney does for him, especially for the sugar-free peanut brittle he brings on occasion.
Friendships like the ones between James and Shannon run throughout the MOW program, Cruikshank said. MOW serves 400 homebound members each weekday and depends greatly on local community support.
Cruikshank and Leta Danielson, MOW’s development coordinator, also visited James last week. They brought holiday hats for James and Shannon to wear. Both had good laughs putting them on for photos.
Coincidentally, Shannon and James are both former city of Long Beach employees, though they didn’t know that when they met for the first time years ago.
James worked in the city’s sanitation department as a truck driver and trash collector. In those days, collectors carried the trash barrels to the trucks, unlike today, when trucks have hydraulic grabber arms to pick up trash and garbage barrels.
James, in fact, said lifting barrels caused slipped discs in his back that never healed properly — and forced him to leave that job and go on workman’s compensation.
James was born in 1939 in Moundville, Alabama, about 20 miles south of Tuscaloosa, home of the University of Alabama. He will celebrate his 84th birthday on Wednesday, Dec. 13.
He was working on a farm in Moundville when a friend asked him to come to Long Beach to help fix his car. James liked Long Beach so much that he got a job in Long Beach’s sanitation department.
After leaving the city job, James worked as a valve machinist for oil companies and had his own vehicle repair shop. During this period, he also attended Long Beach City College and took automotive classes.
While he was working underneath a car, he said, an oily liquid squirted in his eye. That led to surgery and more complications, which gradually caused him to lose sight in both eyes, James said. In addition to his back and eyesight disabilities, James also has diabetes and recently had congestive heart failure following the death of one of his daughters.
“Despite all that has happened to him, he never complains and keeps on smiling,” Shannon said. “I’ve never seen him with a sad face.”
Asked if he ever gets angry or bitter about his situation, James shook his head.
“No. I get depressed sometimes, but I know everything happens for a reason,” James said. “I believe in God, and I make the best of it. I’m doing the best I can.”
He does, however, miss traveling and seeing beautiful things like the giant redwoods in Northern California, he said.
During last week’s visit, the television was on the entire time. James said he keeps it on so he can hear news and sporting events, especially football. He said he was happy when Alabama beat Georgia for the SEC championship and a berth in the college playoffs — and the chance to win the national football championship.
Wanda James, his daughter-in-law and caregiver, said he listens to church services on his phone on Sundays. She praised Meals on Wheels for the services it provides to her father-in-law. She said he also has other relatives, including many grandchildren living outside Long Beach who make him happy.
As we were leaving, Shannon rested his hand on James’ arms and said, “I need you and you need me, friend.”
James, ever-smiling, said, “I feel blessed for my life and you.”
To make a donation online to Meals on Wheels, go to mowlb.org.
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