12/6/2019 (—another day late production—)
We are in a slightly more busy time frame in our alkaline water business this month. We have one more week to go in this building, loading up and getting our stuff out of here by next Friday, the 13th! So, we’re trying this week to pare out the unusable and trim down what is moveable in order to make the last few days to go as smoothly as possible. Many of you have done something similar, I’m sure.
This got a lot harder by the interference of a couple of things: one is that Jason’s son is in the hospital recovering from a surgery brought on by what is now called an auto-immune illness. His prognosis is the way to remain healthy from this is a new life style free of several things which can prompt recurrence. So, of course, Jason is not here to assist in the pre-work for moving, he is there where he can best help his son. We can do this, just not as planned.
The second thing which runs an interference is that the new building for the business isn’t ready and will not be ready next weekend. We’re hoping we will not have to store everything for a very long period, less than a week would be workable, if only. We are in touch with the goings on at the new location everyday to get as clear a picture for things to be finished as we can.
Uninitiated by anything I am aware of, my thoughts have gone back to the ‘60s when We moved our young family to Danville, IL, where we lived until February ’73. The almost 9 years in Danville were very formative in three areas of our lives: our two sons went from toddler to teens (that’s a real education) and then the addition of our baby girl, also, rounding out the family to perfection/completion. Some of the blessings we noticed during that period were the people we met and grew to love. I want to tell you about one of them.
One of the first and most friendly people we met when we first walked through the doors of Ridgeview Baptist Church in September, 1964, was a fellow named Ralph with his wife Martha. Ralph and Martha were the perfect host and hostess (also called “Greeters”) for a church to have. To them, it wasn’t so much your first visit as it was a “we’ve been expecting you,” attitude.
The more we got to know them the more we appreciated them. They once went away for a weekend to Ralph’s home town of Vincennes, IN, and could not return when they intended because all across southern Illinois and southern Indiana an ice storm hit. At that time we lived in Catlin, IL. We were stuck in our small town till the temperature rose above freezing (several days.) Our home had no electricity nor any auxiliary heat and the ice “insulated” us from outside temperatures for a few days (around 50-55degrees inside the house.) Then, we knew our house was going to get colder. Somehow Ralph and Martha, stuck 140 miles away, got word to us to go to their home and stay for the duration, warm by their heat, eat their food, sleep in their beds. We were so very thankful. We remain indebted, in our memories, to Ralph and Martha.
Ralph had an unusual middle name: X. I asked him how he got it, he said he was a “junior” Ralph X. When his father, Ralph, joined the Army to serve in WW1, they asked him for his middle name and he told them he didn’t have one, so the army in its wisdom wrote into his permanent record—X—after discharge “senior” Ralph left it and added the (.) to make it official. Then his son, my friend became Ralph X. Howard, Junior. “A good name is better than precious ointment…” Eccl.7:1.
Ralph was solid, you know, he did what was right. He read and studied the bible and he had been taught what was right, so that’s what he did! He was never destined to become rich, but he provided for his family. His wife was a school teacher and they lived as good a life as they could muster up, both provisionally and personal disciplined in the manner necessary for doing what was right. Looking back at the two of them, I think they both had a grasp on the “simplicity that is in Christ.” I expect to be with them in eternity.
To make the pages of this blog, a friend mentioned especially by name has to have had a grandiose peculiarity, know what I mean? Ralph had one: He had a form of narcolepsy and if he sat and was not busy, he would fall asleep. He could drive, he could sit and do paper work, even watch TV some. But, mostly if he was quiet, he fell asleep. So, knowing that about himself, he chose to stand at the back of the church. He was useful back there, almost like a sentry, a sergeant of arms, etc. (although if an enemy had come in like todays’ chicken-hearted shooters, Ralph would have made a friend of him, I bet.) The other useful thing he did was count the crowd, not for a permanent record, just for the friendliness of telling people how many attended.
There was one problem with Ralph standing at the back of the church: Ralph had a deep resonating bass voice….but, he couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket! But, he thought he could, so he sang….loudly. After a few times, the pastor had to ask him to not sing because his volume level and off key was bothering about the last 4-5 rows of attendees! His feelings were hurt, but Martha made him understand that we didn’t love him less because he couldn’t sing, we would just love him more if he would stop!
Thanks for reading, the Elder
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