Roger was probably one of the happiest men on earth because he had grandchildren (and children too) so close to him almost all the time. He loved family!
Roger was really good at pointing out tripping hazards to me and tried his best to keep them under control. Safety first! He did not like yard work much, so he kind of left me alone with the misc things I would somehow acquire in the garage and yard.
I had this wonderful old work table. It worked out for me inside the garage for a long time. It came out of a warehouse that daddy had and was just amazing for storage and work. It lasted until the water softener sprung a water leak and eventually rotted some of the wooden supports. At that time, I moved it to the garage apron and moved in some amazing oak cabinets that I acquired through 'dumpster diving' - oh the history. UCF's old science lab, moved to TMA's early years campus and eventually my art room. When that campus was shut down, nobody wanted 'old stuff' - nobody but me - so some parents showed up with me one afternoon and we climbed up into those shuttered portable classrooms and salvaged those cabinets - Ah! Something headed for the dumpster - I feel so like an HGTV host! They sat in my garage until I could refinish them, then we moved them into the shell of a classroom, which is what schools typically do - give you an empty cube and say - 'make it a classroom.' That is why teachers acquire random stuff.
Even when I left the original 'new' classroom and moved across campus to the new art studio - guess what - not enough storage! Aha! But my oak cabinets traveled with me! And they enjoyed many good years holding supplies and artwork of many talented artists - and many kids who humored me by acting like they cared about having to take an art class....but paths crossed for a reason!
And then I retired. By that time, the school was willing to spend the money for what was needed. No one else seemed to care about my beautiful oak cabinets like I did, so I took them home with me. They had become like a part of me, after all!
Roger humored me again and walked around the stuff until I could refinish them again and add casters to every unit. After all, he was never the 'clean out the garage' kind of guy and I knew that we were getting older - so casters were a PERFECT plan for providing flexibility and easy movement for my coming years. Gotta let a girl re-arrange!
And so - my faithful warehouse work table moved out at this point. And my beautiful oak cabinets claimed new homes.
For a few years, the table weathered the storms of life in the great outdoors. Potting table, paint table, work table. We all weather the storms of life - different purposes for different seasons. We stand strong for as long as we can, but eventually something gets us - takes us out.
My table became more and more feeble as time passed and it hit a point in the fall when I just knew the whole thing was going to tip over and become a real problem. And that is when Jacob arrived.
What middle school boy does not relish the idea of demolishing something?
It was so interesting watching his mind work when we decided that some was worth salvage and some was simply to be trashed. After all - this wood was at least 40 years old - you don't find great wood so often any more! Step by step, Jacob disassembled the work table. Step by step, we took it to the curb - either in a trash can, or to be stacked by the tree with a sign - "Free"
He did an amazing job and Roger would have been so proud of him for helping me out with this project. I loved the feeling of satisfaction that he had at the end of the job....knowing he had indeed demolished, yet not destroyed, and had re-purposed something of value.
Roger's Lesson: Keep giving opportunities to young people so they can know that they are capable. It empowers them as they learn to serve others and provide a service to others.
Yes, Roger would almost always hire a young person for things like yard work so they could practice those lessons. Train up the youth instead of hiring the professional, he would say. And it had nothing to do with money. It had everything to do with empowering someone else to serve.
Well, Jacob is a great young helper and I look forward to many more years of watching him grow up. I just hope the girls can be kept at bay during these years because they will take up too much of his time. And his Juci needs him!
Great story! I love that boy.... a fine young man is he....
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