While I was preparing to write this story, it came over the airwaves, early in the morning of February 21st, 2018 that Evangelist Billy Graham had died at his home in Montreat, N.C. at the age of 99. He was both deaf and blind and had Parkinson’s. Donna and I lost a son, Rob, to Parkinson’s at the young age of 59.
Nowadays, it may be a word that is familiar to most people, but in the late 40s you never heard the word “vocation”.
One Monday morning, after walking about one‑and‑a‑half miles to school, unless some farmer passed you with his horses and wagon (no school buses in those days), the teacher asked all of us present to write an essay. After getting our pencil and paper out she said, “I want you to write an essay entitled your ‘Vocation in Life’.” Four or five of us, I, being one, put our hands up and she said, “What do you want?”, and we said, “We don’t know what that word means.” She explained that vocation means what are you going to do with your life when you are finished school. At that time it looked like some of us would always be in school so we didn’t have to worry about a vocation!
Today with the TV and all the other modern technology we have, the radio is a thing of the past. But in my days of growing up, if you had a radio, it was a luxury. I don’t know how we could afford one, but we had a radio, and electricity wasn’t even around then in the rural areas. Our radio ran on two 6‑cylinder batteries that would last about three months. When the batteries got low, father would only allow us to listen to the news.
Recently a new program, “Heavy Rescue 401”, came on TV, a sequel to “Highway Through Hell” in Hope, B.C. They show some of the worst accidents on Highways 401 and 402 in Ontario over the past few years.
It was the year 1984, in the month of February. Donna & I were on our seventh move from New Brunswick to Ontario (in all we have moved thirteen times, plus mini moves when we were doing interim ministry). We left London with our son Rob. He was going to Belleville, Ontario, to do income tax work and we decided we would drive to Belleville with him and then take the bus from Belleville to Coldstream, New Brunswick.
Luke 10: 27: “The man answered, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind. And,love your neighbor as yourself.'”
There are many seniors today who live alone, many times because their spouse has passed away. Such is the case with a minister friend with whom I have kept in contact. He has been a close friend for many years and was a very successful minister. Today, he is living alone in a small apartment. His wife passed away, and as a result of having cataracts, he is unable to drive. His family and friends drive him wherever he has to go and he cooks his own meals. Just recently, I called him and he jokingly said, “I just got back from eating at Tim Horton’s and I don’t have to wash dishes!”
The year was April 1957, and I had completed one year of training for the ministry. I was back in London, Ontario, looking for a summer job. I had no car and had to take the bus or walk all over London while looking for a job. Now, two weeks had passed and no job.