To my children ...

Quite a few years ago, perhaps around the time fire was discovered, I got my first real job as a grocery bagger. I was 16. I had other jobs, like life guarding, delivering newspapers, busing tables, etc. But this was my first real job with a paycheck, benefits, tax withholding and yes, union dues. I remember walking up to Mr. Brown, the store manager, with my long hair and my best clothes and asking for a job. He asked me if I could work hard. I said "Yes sir". He, being retired military, appreciated the crisp response and told me to start the next day. I worked for several months as a bagger. I was always on time and did my best. I was soon promoted to a checker. In those days, bar codes were non-existent so every price had to be entered using a 10-key and to give change meant doing the math in your head. My drawer was never short or over more than a few cents. I did my best and exceeded their expectations. In two years, I was a stock clerk making an exorbitant amount of money (for the time). Twenty-nine years later, I still do my best and almost always exceed my employer's expectations. I am a highly compensated executive and would be considered a success with my peers. Now, if you were to count all the "I"s above, you get the impression that I was a self made man.

That would be a mistake.


If it were up to me alone, I'd probably be a day-laborer someplace (not that this isn't honest work).

I was thinking of my mother just before Mother's Day. I wanted to write her to tell her how much I appreciated her training me to do a good job. I can recall cleaning the bathroom over and over again until I got it right. Back then all we had was Comet or Ajax which if you didn't rinse it well enough, a fine powdery residue remained. It looked clean but when she ran her finger across the porcelain, that powder would show up and I'd roll my eyes and say "yes ma'am" knowing that I had to redo the job. The ma'am part was usually a protracted three or four syllable utterance meant to embody a number of emotions and opinions that I wouldn't dare say to her face. She applied the same level of scrutiny over all our chores. If we didn't do it right the first time we were destined to repeat the effort until it was right.

I cherish my wife of 25+ years (and still in love) and all the encouragement she has given me, since even before she and I were married. When I worked at the glass plant on second shift, she would bring me my dinner every night (her mother prepared it) and sit with me during my half hour dinner break. When the opportunity came up at the hospital she said I should apply for it. I was a student worker at Winthrop University (it was just a lowly college back then). I applied and got the job as second and third shift data operator. Kids, back then a disk drive was the size of a washing machine and data entry was done with a bunch of keypunched rectangular cards. A program to print something could take two or three shoeboxes of these cards. I did fine on this job and when the assistant business office manager job became available, your mother again encouraged me to apply for it. A management job! I was 24. We were so excited when I got this job. It was then we decided to begin having children. All three of the boys were born at this hospital. My wife continues to counsel and encourage me.

Early in our married life, I developed a real appreciation for Charles, my father-in-law; a professional, a good father and a brother in Christ. He taught my wife and I in Sunday School for many years and continues to be an example to me of a godly man who has patterned his life like that of our Lord Jesus and has shown to me that one can be both a business man and a Christian. I also think of my own father, who after his conversion in the early 1990s, showed me how much a man can change under God's grace. I love them both, I think of them a lot.

I think of Bucky who helped me through one of the worst periods of my life, when I was fired. Having never been fired before, it was a crushing blow to my sense of self-worth. He prayed with me and talked me through a lot of moments of anger and feelings of insecurity. He helped me know that God was in control (and all this time, I thought it was me, lol). I still wrestle with God as Jacob did over the control issue but all I have to do is think of that day in Virginia ...

There are others that chipped and smoothed me over the years but I have named the most significant ones except for two. There is God and the preacher from Arkansas who introduced me to Him. I owe everything to God's grace, from the talents He instilled in me to the people He put in my path to shape and sharpen me. Everything I have or am I owe to Him. He has blessed me greatly with you, your mother, my parents including Rue and her parents. His Word speaks abundant truth in Proverbs 14:23 "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." and Proverbs 31:31 "Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."

So why am I telling you all this? So that you will look at your chores as basic training for a life of work and play but work first. Honor God in all that you do. No task is unimportant.