Spring is settling in up here at the Old Place. Perhaps a bit more slowly than we would like but mother nature is a patient lady. I had decided to clean out last year's squirrel nests up in the attic. I figured they would get in there anyway, so why not give 'um a nice clean room! I was coming down with the last load when Ruth stopped by with my mail. Ruth's store is the RFD drop for any local post. There was a note from a fella I had not heard from in years, a real blast from the past. It was short and sweet, like the old woman's dance, "Heard about your 'Night Job.' Might be a good time to share what Dad said the first time you met. F." I think so too.
One summer, my friend Bill "The Wild Buffalo" Bowlus and I went to an all-boys water skiing camp in North Carolina. The owner was a no-nonsense Christian named, George Pickering. During lunch one day in our second week, a middle-aged gentleman with what I call "Preacher Hair" came in and sat down with us. His conversation was light, and he spoke with us, not to us. The man was Mr. Pickering's best friend, the Rev. Billy Graham! As a young boy, I found some really creative ways to screw up. Being a young boy, aspiring for manhood, I realized there was a "next" level opportunity sitting two feet away. I plucked up my courage.
"What's on your mind, Jim?"
"Sir, do you have a son?" Good lord, how pitiful. I have the chance to probe the mind of Billy 'Freakin' Graham and THAT's the best I could do?
"Yes I do, his name is Franklin," he replied.
"Does he ever get in trouble?" I felt my ancestors roaring in laughter!
"He sure does," he said with a laugh. "But is that really what you want to ask?"
"No sir," I said.
"What about some advice that I gave my own son Franklin," he offered.
"That'd be great," I replied, feeling not unlike a fool.
"As a young man," he began, "be respectful of others. Especially those you disagree with or do not like and even more especially with women and girls."
It was not the great earth-moving revelation I was expecting but it did start something. boys' questions were posed and answered in a genuine, man-to-man fashion. Lunch ended, hands were shaken and we drifted off toward the lake to let our lunch settle. It was not until later that night when we had fallen exhausted into our bunks, that I began musing on the great man's words to me. At the time, I was devouring my way through one of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian novels. Conan swung a huge sword and like my old friend Tarzan, was a man's man! The two also shared an almost naive trust in their friends and deep respect for women. Here again, was that nugget Rev. Graham offered me during lunch. From that day on, I tried to follow his example. Then, years later came an event that made Graham's advice resonate like the clear sound of a distant bell. It was during the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky incident, and Rev. Graham was on Larry King. . .
"I train my staff to avoid potential situations like this. When any of our male ministers are meeting with a female parishioner, the office door stays fully open. If this is not possible, one of our female confidential assistants will be inside the office also. If we are meeting outside the office, the same rules apply."
Liberal Larry houghed a little and replied, "I think most people would call that very draconian, reverend."
"Old fashioned perhaps," replied Graham. "But effective and proper. Not only do you protect yourself, but you also show respect for the girl or woman you are meeting with."
I realize that while this idea was narrowly focused on the male of the species, it should be. As men, God gave us the responsibility for the spiritual health of our immediate family. In modern society, this responsibility naturally extends to the workplace. But take caution young men, some women do not wish to be treated differently from men and when it suits their agenda, will say anything. Well, "if wishes were fishes would we not all cast nets?"
Sitting in a rocker at the Old Place I am, Col. Jim
Tuesday, February 28, 2023
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