Education Takes Many Twists

 

I have always enjoyed my school days, but sometimes parental interventions were not appreciated.  The beginnings of my education probably were different than many of you. Let me explain.

I started the formal schooling part of my life in the school district of Burwalde, MB, a few kilometers from Winkler. However, my informal education had begun much earlier. I am the last of twelve siblings, and therefore was able to learn much from them. When I started kindergarten I already could read reasonably well and knew about the geography of North America. Then, because my oldest brother was in the Royal Canadian Air Force, the family kept track of where he was stationed.

“Kindergarten” was a short period of time from Easter until the end of the year, just enough time to get me and the other classmates into the mode of what school was all about. I enjoyed this setting.

The summer after my kindergarten experience, my dad retired from public school teaching and moved the family to Chilliwack, BC.  How the next step happened, I really do not know, but when school started in fall, I was placed into the grade two class. I skipped the entire first grade.  I really never gave it a thought, but fit right in with my grade twos, except that I was now the youngest in the class.

I felt I was doing quite well, but every so often dad would quiz me about my “studies”.  My reports were always positive, both from me and from my teachers via our report cards.

Dad would occasionally ask how my school  subjects were going. I think he may have missed the classroom interactions. One day dad asked me about my spelling. I told him I had only two wrong.  Dad thought that I should have all the words correct, having several wrong just did not cut it. He quizzed me about my spelling for several weeks. My answer was always, “Just two wrong”. Then one day he asked a second question, “How many words in your tests?” Oh, oh, I was caught!  I sheepishly told him I only had two words on each day’s quiz. From that day on, after we had done our chores and finished supper, dad checked up on my spelling and drilled me on the words for each quiz.

I was embarrassed but I soon realized that a bit of work meant my spelling greatly improved. In fact, throughout my teaching and writing careers, I have found that correct spelling came easily. Thanks to my father, I rarely make a mistake in spelling a word.

 

BRIGHTNESS AFTER LOSS

Our lives are filled with losses, not that they should keep us from accomplishing what we want to do nor destroy our joys. Do we allow losses to defeat us, to make us frustrated, to make us sad? Does our dour expression show itself to others? Are we capable of seeing some brightness at the end of the tunnel of loss? In the following three stories from my life experiences I want to show that brightness does come after loss. I hope you will see this in the stories.

Story #1 Earning Money for School

I had just finished high school and was looking forward to my next year—studying at the local Bible Institute.  A close friend and I were able to find work in Vancouver, with a firm constructing an addition to a school. This seemed too good to be true. We had rides to the jobsite, excellent pay, and camaraderie with the carpenters. We, of course, were lowly labourers!  After about two weeks on the job, a union rep. showed up to check on things. He informed us that we needed to join the union if we wanted to remain on the job. After he left, our superintendent told us to head out to the union office, including bus route directions. We left immediately and soon were standing in line at the union office. After about an hour’s wait, we were served. We filled out the paperwork, paid our dues, and headed back to the site. We quickly went back to work. When the end of the day came, our superintendent came to see us. He informed us that we were no longer needed; he handed us our pay cheques and left. What???  We were very frustrated and quite angry. Why in the world did the superintendent send us to the union office, knowing that this would be our last day?

Very dejectedly, we sat in the vehicle taking us home. What now? Both my friend and I needed work in order to pay for next year’s schooling. My friend got a call from an acquaintance up in Prince George, BC. A job was available, but only for one person. My friend left, I stayed behind. Sunday came a few days later, and I, rather glumly, went to the service. I do not remember the service, but I do remember what happened after. One of the church leaders came to me stating he wanted to chat with me. We sat down on the raised brick work (around some flower beds). He asked me how I was doing. What a time for such a question? After blurting out my frustration, I was asked if I would like to work with him doing bricklaying tasks. Without hesitation, I gave him a resounding “yes” and asked when he wanted me to start work. His comment was, “Tomorrow, if you want the job.” Next morning he picked me up and we went to a local job site. I was his only employee. He took the time to explain the processes of mixing mortar; of maintaining his “mud box” at a certain level; of bringing the bricks from the stack. He provided work gloves because I forgot mine at home. I learned how to lay bricks; how to make the different mixtures of mud; and how to keep the bricks and concrete blocks from becoming mud stained. However, I learned much more than that. My boss sat with me at coffee breaks, at lunch and sometimes as we waited for a delivery of bricks. Not only was he a bricklayer, and a shoe store owner (his wife ran that business); he was a minister in our church. Often our breaks were filled with theological discussions. Many times the breaks of 15 minutes became discussions of 25 or more minutes. I have treasured these times. But, more than that, I learned much about people, about God, about our relationships. My boss must have liked me, and the job I was doing, for he hired me for several summers and even asked me to work some Saturdays during the school year.

Losing a job was frustratingly hard, but gaining a brightness to help me along life’s journey, that was precious.

Story #2 Losing a Job Because the Boss Wanted Someone Else

Several years after Susan and I were married, I obtained a job in Winnipeg, working as the manager of a book department within a printing operation. This was a year out of college, so we were still young and inexperienced. However, I had spent two years working in a bookstore while in college. It was this experience that got me this job. I had been there for about a year when a new General Manager came in. We worked together well. He helped design and build a large display for conventions, etc. The Conference for which we worked had a convention in Three Hills, AB. We packed up the display to take to the convention. Although I was responsible for the book display/sales table, the General Manager helped set everything up, and even came to help on several occasions. He volunteered to take down the display and take it back to Winnipeg. Susan and I had planned a short vacation in the Fraser Valley, BC. We enjoyed our time with family and friends, secure in the fact that we could go back to Winnipeg assured of a job.

What a shock when I returned! Someone else was sitting at my desk. She indicated that this was to be “her” desk, and that she had just started a few days ago. What now? My head was spinning. What had happened? The general manager came in shortly after this, so I followed him into his private office, demanding to know what was going on. He looked at me with a smile on his face, and stated, “I didn’t think you were coming back. I needed someone to handle that workload”

I was furious, asking how he ever got that idea! He mumbled some response, and then indicated that I could work in a corner of our open office area. I knew that my time here was up. I kept wracking my brain, wondering what I had done to create this situation. Nothing came to mind. However as the days passed, I realized that this employee was someone special as far as the boss was concerned. I t was amazing how much time she spent in that private office.

I immediately began looking for other work. During that time, I saw a write-up about work at Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Susan and I talked about the idea of moving. I then completed the best letter I could and mailed it to Zondervan. I really did not expect a response. However, one morning I received a call from there. The Vice-president of book sales was coming to Winnipeg to see me. Wow! Not the response I expected, but very exciting for us. In a few days, he arrived. We had several hours together discussing various issues, including getting a visa allowing us to move and work in the United States. After our discussion, he said he would check in the next day to gain some understanding of how we felt. I am not sure we realized what we were doing. Susan and I hardly slept that night. The next morning, we agreed, this adventure we wanted to take. We had breakfast with the V-P and informed him we were ready to go south. I had originally hoped to work in the publishing department, but with my experience mostly in book sales, this was where I would work. I was hired to run a Zondervan Family Bookstore in Pasadena, CA. Imagine, going from cold Winnipeg (this was the end of October) to sunny Pasadena. What could be better?

We applied for our “Green Cards” because we were going south as employees of an American firm. We were impatient. We spent many days getting all the paperwork together. This was now the end of November, and we were still in Winnipeg. In checking with the American Consulate, we were able to pick up our visas and Green Cards in Vancouver. Because of the Christmas rush in the Pasadena store, I flew down, without my paperwork, and began working. Susan called a few weeks later, informing me that all the paperwork was done. All we needed to do was signeverything in the consulate office. I flew back, signed the papers, and then we packed our car with most of our stuff and drove down. We arrived, and moved into an apartment I had found. We unpacked and then went to work. Susan was expecting to make our living space more presentable, but the Vice-President, after telling us that company policy stated no married couples could work in the same store, asked if Susan could help in the store!

We felt very good. This company wanted me in their ranks. After being forced out because a general manager wanted a special someone to have a job, we were excited for this fresh start. That letter to Zondervan inspired a man to come to Winnipeg who wanted me (us) in Pasadena. The darkness and frustration at the Winnipeg store brought me excitement and joy in a completely new environment.

 

Story #3 Conference Downsizing meant my Job was Gone

I left my teaching job at Bethany Bible Institute to head up the publishing arm of the Mennonite Brethren Conference.  For me this was my “dream job.” I had dreamed of editing and publishing since high school. Now, after managing bookstores, teaching English and working as a publicity director, I was finally going to work in publishing.

I truly enjoyed the work—meeting authors, making publishing decisions, setting up book displays and sales tables—and thought I could do this until retirement. The publishing arm of the M.B. Conference operated under a budget, so we needed to sell books at a profit. Because one of the desires of the publishing committee was to develop new writers, these novices were unknown and often their works sold poorly.  Therefore, I suffered with a publishing conflict—try to get best-selling authors, or develop new authors, and then low sales. For too many years, these slow sales were not covered by budgeted dollars. However, many of the publications were direct Conference-requested publications, such as a Ministers Manual, New Member Manuals, new worship materials including new Hymnals. These too, were to be paid from sales and/or budget.

The board under which I worked was very supportive, and encouraged me to keep moving ahead even if there were some financial difficulties. Then, at a Convention, a new board chair and board members were elected. This new board wanted drastic changes made in order to erase a deficit and start earning money. The board never indicated that I could be replaced, so I felt secure in my task. However, the Conference set up a restructuring commission. After some months of analysis, the restructuring committee determined that to help the Conference move ahead, all employees would be terminated. Wow! That meant me. How could this happen?

I was at that age, when new employment could be difficult. I loved the business of publishing and selling books. Would I have to give up my dream? Then, one of our authors told me that I should not give up, but, instead I should talk to a local business person who was interested in a publishing venture, but could use some assistance with the whole process.

I called and set up a meeting.

 Soon, I was an excited partner in a new publishing venture.  The darkness and loss was replaced by excitement and bright hope. God replaced my sorrow and loss in a most unexpected manner!

 

CONCLUDING COMMENTS

Sometimes we get frustrated with the way our life turns out, and we mourn about a loss. We wonder what will become of us—things are awful, or so we assume. Then during our darkest hours, a brightness occurs, a hope grows inside. We wonder what this hope will bring us, and then we realize that God was there all the time.