Turning Point

 Leroy started working at Shank Door on March 5, 1973. He was the third employee. The second one soon quit and moved down South. That left Leroy and Ira Mast working for the owner, Ralph Shank. Ralph operated the business out of his home. In 1974, he built a garage next to the house. This was the warehouse.

On Leroy's first day, Ralph took him to a job and told him to watch while he installs a door. He slapped it up and then said, "Now  you do the next one," and left. That was Leroy's training. Today, an installer has at least six weeks of training working with another installer.

A few years later, Ralph sold the business to Ira Mast. He lived on the farm next to Ralph and was married to Ralph's niece. The business grew and Ira built a larger warehouse on the farm. On October 22, 1982, the warehouse caught fire and was completely destroyed. Help poured in to clean up and rebuild. The new enlarged warehouse was finished in two months, at the end of December.

The business kept growing and later the chicken house behind the warehouse was attached to it. More additions were added later. Today, the company has eighty employees.

Leroy installed garage doors and openers for 22 years. In the beginning, he had his own truck and paid his own gas. There were no paid vacations or holidays, company tools or ladders, medical insurance, uniforms, cell phones, retirement plans, or company trucks. These benefits were added gradually as the company grew. 

There was not enough work at home to keep our boys busy in the summer, so Leroy took them along to work as they grew old enough to help. It was good for them to work with their father and they learned to help themselves with tools.

Leroy got his first cell phone in 2003. It was a Nextel which also had a two-way. All the years he had been on the road installing, there was no way to reach him. This was a problem especially when we were expecting a new baby. Fortunately, the babies never decided to come while he was at work. The company phones kept being upgraded until he had a smartphone.

 

Leroy was 51 in the spring of 1995. Installing was becoming too heavy work for him and he had trouble with his shoulder. Ira told him he could work in the warehouse. No one was keeping order in there and it was becoming a problem. He agreed and was a warehouse worker and go-fer for another 26 years. He got his first company truck in 1995.

Every day was different as a warehouse worker. Leroy waited on customers at the counter, put things away, burned trash, picked up and delivered things, repaired tools, recycled materials, and other small things that kept order in the warehouse. 

He drove his first company truck until February 2016 when someone crossed the road and hit him head-on. The truck was demolished and the company bought him a brand new 2016 model.

Leroy has been considering retiring "at the end of the year" for several years. But when the end of the year came, he kept on going. After more than forty years, it was not going to work very well to quit suddenly. In 2020, he cut back to three days per week and worked from Tuesday through Thursday. That gave him four-day weekends. As the end of the year approached he again debated whether or not he would retire. He decided he would stretch it out a few more months until March 5, 2021, so he can say he worked at Shank Door 48 years.

Yesterday he was honored at the regular monthly company meeting/breakfast and received a nice retirement gift. This 5 ft. poster displayed pictures from his 48 years with the company. Also on display were some of his old work orders, canceled paychecks from the 70s, and some of the old hand tools he used in the early years.

The garage door business is up and down, literally and figuratively, as it fluctuates with the economy. Some of the early years were a struggle but things improved as the company grew and it provided us with a comfortable living. We are grateful the company provided work he could do when installing got to be too heavy and they kept him on as long as he wanted to work.

At the age of 77, he has earned his retirement. He is leaving with a sense of satisfaction in seeing two of our sons carry on with the company. Daryl does service work and Gene is in management.

It's going to be an adjustment for us to begin this stage of life as retirees. Leroy plans to do some volunteer work at CAM. He has been doing more to help me around the house as my back and hip are reducing my capability. It will be good for him to learn to help himself a little more in this department. It is hard to believe we have come to this turning point in life. Who would have thought 48 years could pass so quickly! God has been faithful through all these years and He will carry us through whatever the future holds.

Sycophant

    I set a goal to read the entire Martyrs' Mirror this year. It's a huge book and slow going but I'm learning some things. This morning I came across a word that was new to me--sycophant. Any guesses what that means? Or maybe you already know. Either way, here is the context in which it was used.

  "Samson was also a Scotchman by descent, and an elder and companion of said Clement. He and Sydonius, Bishop in Bavaria, and others of like purpose and belief, were as one heart and soul, to oppose with the Word of God, Boniface, the papal legate, who proposed to oppress the people with manifold superstitions and burdens. This, not only Samson, but also Sydonius and the others boldly did. They taught with word and pen, that the apostolical embassy (as it was called) of Bishop Boniface bore a closer resemblance to paganism or antichristendom, than to christendom. and that he had deformed rather than reformed, France and Germany. Again, that he was a sycophant and flatterer of the pope of Rome, to whom he had not only bound, but completely sold himself, as a sworn slave."

  I consulted the dictionary for the definition of sycophant.  "A person who tries to please someone in order to gain a personal advantage." Synonyms were--yes-man and slang words including boot licker and brown noser. So a sycophant is an insincere self-seeking person. 

   This poem was published in Wetmore’s 1898 anthology Fables for the Frivolous. 

The Sycophantic Fox and the Gullible Raven

by Guy Wetmore Carryl

A raven sat upon a tree,

      And not a word he spoke, for

His beak contained a piece of Brie,

      Or, maybe, it was Roquefort:

            We’ll make it any kind you please—

            At all events, it was a cheese.

Beneath the tree’s umbrageous limb

      A hungry fox sat smiling;

He saw the raven watching him,

      And spoke in words beguiling.

            “J’admire,” said he, “ton beau plumage.”

            (The which was simply persiflage.)

Two things there are, no doubt you know,

      To which a fox is used:

A rooster that is bound to crow,

      A crow that’s bound to roost,

            And whichsoever he espies

            He tells the most unblushing lies.

“Sweet fowl,” he said, “I understand

      You’re more than merely natty,

I hear you sing to beat the band

      And Adelina Patti.

            Pray render with your liquid tongue

            A bit from Götterdämmerung.”

This subtle speech was aimed to please

      The crow, and it succeeded:

He thought no bird in all the trees

      Could sing as well as he did.

            In flattery completely doused,

            He gave the “Jewel Song” from Faust.

But gravitation’s law, of course,

      As Isaac Newton showed it,

Exerted on the cheese its force,

      And elsewhere soon bestowed it.

            In fact, there is no need to tell

            What happened when to earth it fell.

I blush to add that when the bird

      Took in the situation

He said one brief, emphatic word,

      Unfit for publication.

            The fox was greatly startled, but

            He only sighed and answered “Tut.”

The Moral is: A fox is bound

      To be a shameless sinner.

And also: When the cheese comes round

      You know it’s after dinner.

            But (what is only known to few)

            The fox is after dinner, too.

Evolution of the Telephone

  When I was growing up in Lancaster County, we had a rotary phone setting on the desk. It was a party line which meant several of the neighbors shared our line. The phone had a different ring for each family so we would know if the call was for us. I don't remember exactly what our ring was but it was something like one long ring and two shorts, or one short and one long, etc. We had a simple number of RE3-9098. RE stood for the Republic exchange and it later was changed to 733-9098. There was no area code until perhaps the late 1950s. To make a call outside of the local area we had to dial O to connect with an operator. We had to give our number to make the call and then were charged by the minute. We didn't make long toll calls because it ran up the monthly bill pretty quickly.

   The phone Leroy's family had when they moved to Berks County in 1953 was more antiquated. The phone had no dial. The wooden box fastened to the wall had a crank on the side. To make a call, they turned the crank which alerted the operator who sat at a switchboard. They gave her the number they wanted to call and she made the connection. Their number was 103. If someone called them, the operator would make the phone ring twice in short succession. And of course, it was a party line shared with several neighbors. Any of them could pick up and listen in to the conversation.

 

  We got married in 1967 and rented a house for a year while we built a new one. When we moved in, we had a rotary phone mounted on the wall above the desk in the living room. It was a party line shared with the neighbors. Who could afford the luxury of an expensive private line? Talking on the phone meant sitting at the desk for the duration of the call. At one point we had a longer cord attached so I could reach further and catch unruly children while on the phone. Only local calls were included in the plan so "pay calls" were only made when necessary and kept short. Direct dialing arrived so we no longer had to speak to an operator to make a call. It was necessary to dial 1 before the number when making long distance calls (out of the local area). Our first phone now hangs on the basement wall with the other antiques on display.

   We moved up a step when we replaced the rotary phone with a push button phone that sat on the desk. We hung onto our party line as long as we could. At the end, there was only one other person on our line and they were not close neighbors. Party lines were discontinued and private lines were no more expensive luxuries. 

  Our next upgrade in a phone was one with an answering machine that sat on the desk. Two cordless phones were included which were kept in the bedroom and on the sink. Now we could walk around while on the phone and pick up messages from people who called when we were not home.

 When cell phones came into common use, the company where Leroy worked provided him with a cell phone. They previously had a phone in his truck that worked similar to a two-way. Only one person could talk at a time. When he called, I would have to wait until he stopped talking to reply and vice versa. The cell phone was a great improvement because he could carry it with him and not have to be in the truck to use it. Also, we could carry on a normal conversation. 

   Our youngest sons and Leroy all had cell phones but I did not. I thought I had lived fifty years without one and I didn't need it. But then Leroy said, "You are the only person I can't get ahold of when you're not home. You need to get a cell phone." So I did. My first cell phone had a monthly charge and it was too expensive for not more than I used it. I switched to a cheap, no-frills TracPhone. It is prepaid and serves the purpose very well. At one point I got an upgrade which allowed me to do text messages as well as phone calls. Sending a text message is a slow process. If I want an i, I need to push 4 three times, etc. Texting sends the message using only 30 seconds of the time on the phone and uses less time than making a call. 

   Leroy is planning to retire in a couple weeks and will have to turn in his company cell phone. We are so used to having cell phones it seems like a necessity for us to each have one. There are times when we both need one. For example, we are separated in the store and he can't find me. After using the company smartphone so long, that seemed like a necessity too. It includes all kind of features we never even dreamed of---internet and GPS, plus all kinds of apps, a camera, video chat and more. We had our same phone number since 1968 and didn't want to change it. We bought the new phone on Saturday and this morning our number was switched from the landline to the cell phone. 

   We are now up-to-date with an iPhone. Years ago we used to joke about someday being able to carry a phone in our pocket and/or see people while we talk to them. It's not a joke anymore. It is here. I can only wonder how many more changes we will live to see.

    In case you're wondering, yes, all the phones pictured here are still in our house but only the cell phones are in working order.

Only a Dishrag?

 The following little article I wrote was published in Companions in 1981. Someone told me they never forgot this one. I thought perhaps it bears repeating. (Small print added.)

   Of what value is a dishrag anyway? There are more expensive gadgets in my kitchen, but none more versatile or indispensable than my humble dishrag. I have used it to wipe the windowsill at the sink, wash the jelly from a toddler's face, to give extra grip when a stubborn jar refused to open, as well as the daily ordinary dishwashing chores. (and other things not mentioned here)
   My dishrag is often stained by the dirt it works against and gets frequent cleansings itself. Without complaint or hesitation it accepts any job I need it for. It does big or small jobs equally well. It stays in its place on the sink, ready and available when I need it.

  Did I hear you say you sometimes feel like a dishrag? Well, good! God can use more (humble, flexible) dishrags in the church.

Persecution

 I didn't make any New Year resolutions but I did set one goal. I have read parts of the Martyrs' Mirror but never read it through. That's embarrassing. I decided I will read it this year. I'm reading a portion each morning along with my devotional time. It is not easy reading. I can only read a short section at a time and then can't take any more. It is just unbelievable how cruel people can be. The ways Christians were tortured are so gross it turns my stomach. 
The Martyrs' Mirror was written 400 years ago but persecution of Christians has never ceased. It began shortly after Jesus ascended to heaven and continues in 2021. It's easy for us to dismiss it from our minds because we have not experienced this type of treatment in our country. But persecution is very real for Christians in many parts of the world. Here are some statistics:

• More than 70 million Christians have been martyred in the course of history. More than half were martyred in the 20th century under communist and fascist government (Gordon-Conwell Resources).
• In the 21st century, roughly 100,000  to 160,000 Christians were killed each year (Gordon-Conwell Resources and World Christian Database, respectively).
• Roughly 1,093,000 Christians were martyred, worldwide, between 2000 and 2010 (World Christian Database). 
• The ten countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution are, in order:

1. North Korea (at the top of the list for 18 years)
2. Afghanistan
3. Somalia
4. Sudan
5. Pakistan
6. Eritrea
7. Libya
8. Iraq
9. Yemen
10. Iran

With the exception of North Korea, all of these countries are predominantly Muslim and in the Middle East and Africa. We can't do much about this persecution but we can pray for the Christians in these countries. As Jesus said, "I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not." 

2020 Hindsight

   A whole year has passed since I wrote a blog post on 20/20 Vision on December 30, 2019. We were about to begin a new decade and I wondered what we would find in it. Like many others, we expected life to continue as usual although there would naturally be unknown changes along the way. No one could foresee how life would be turned upside down a quarter of the way through 2020. The enemy was too small to be seen but it spread around the globe and life was disrupted for everyone. We made the best of it and did what we had to do.

  The year started out calmly as I wrote, scrapbooked, and crocheted. In January we put a 1000 piece puzzle together and had no idea we would do a half dozen more before spring came in all its glory. 

  I had a CT scan in February and learned the spot the doctor had been watching on my kidney for several years had grown and was malignant. I was scheduled to have surgery in May but didn't tell anyone. I didn't think it was necessary for people to think about it that long. Besides, we had more exciting news to think about. In February we learned that after waiting nine years a new grandchild was on the way. It was a definite answer to much earnest prayer. "With God nothing is impossible."

  Leroy was off work six weeks after COVID-19 broke out in March. Everything was canceled and church was on livestream from March to June. It was better than nothing but we missed the fellowship.

   Easter came in April but there was no Good Friday or Easter service in church. Leroy went back to working three days per week and we started circulating a bit more. I finished a book I had been working on for a year and a half and sent it to the reviewers. There's still a lot of work before it can be published and I doubt it will be on the market before the end of 2021. I volunteered at the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society for thirteen years, helping Carolyn Wenger prepare things for the archives. They closed because of the virus and then Carolyn died of cancer in April. It seemed like a good time for me to quit. It's something I wanted to do for a long time before I started and now I gave it up.

  Our children came in May to do some yard work for us. They spread mulch and replaced some overgrown bushes. That day I told them I was scheduled for kidney cancer surgery on May 29. 

  Leroy was not allowed to enter the hospital so he could only drop me off and go home. It turned out to be a more major surgery than the doctor anticipated. I was in the hospital nine days and in rehab another seven days. No visitors were allowed all that time but I could talk to people on the phone. Our sons looked after Leroy, cooking and doing laundry for him. I finally came home on June 16. The good news was that they got all the cancer and I did not need any chemo or radiation. 

  Our daughter came from Ohio and was here for a week. I was grateful for her help. It took me several months to make a full recovery and by then the summer was over. The virus slacked off over summer but things were still canceled all year as we went along. In-person church services resumed in June but with some changes in the routine. Restaurants and other businesses that had been closed on the governor's orders were open again but with safety guidelines. Face masks, hand sanitizer, and social distancing was a part of life in 2020. 

  Like many other things, the annual Berean Meetings in July were canceled. And cancelations continued through August. The summer passed with no Bible school, reunions, trips, or other things that we had always taken for granted as a normal part of life. Our second great-grandchild was born May 14, but due of the circumstances, we did not get to see him until they came in from Ohio in August. Colton Miller was three months old before we saw him in person.

   Schools had been closed since March but opened again in September with some modifications. My newest book of children's stories was released this month and on September 24 the long-awaited granddaughter arrived. Abigail Ruth Stauffer is a dream come true was a bright highlight in a dark and disrupted year.

   As the weather cooled in October, virus cases began to rise again. But the shutdown in the spring had caused so much damage to the economy the governor knew he cannot do it again. At the end of the month our daughter came for another week to help me with some cleaning. We shivered through the outdoor wedding of a grandson on October 30.

   There was plenty of hot air all year with the presidential election taking place in November. President Trump lost the election and made a fool of himself by refusing to concede and trying to overturn the results. I never in my life saw such a poor loser in an election. 

  Leroy's brother's wife died with the virus after being in the hospital two weeks and I also lost one of my old friends the same week. 

   We had a most unusual Thanksgiving dinner. We planned to have the traditional turkey meal with one of our sons and his family, but he had a sore throat that morning. Any other year we wouldn't have taken that so seriously but out of caution we decided to exchange portions of the food we had prepared and eat at our own tables. We visited by Zoom on our computers while we ate.

  The virus could not stop Christmas from coming in December. I did most of my Christmas shopping online this year and was finished the beginning of the month. My daughters-in-law came to bake cookies, I mailed cards and letters, and wrapped gifts as usual. Our children and grandchildren were here on Christmas day. We wore face masks and kept hand sanitizer handy. The only ones missing were an Ohio grandson, his wife, and two children---our great-grandchildren. 

   The last week of the month one of Leroy's old buddies also died with the virus. Our "youth group" is leaving this world for a better one at an alarming rate.

  Tonight we reach the end of this unforgettable year. Looking back at this year, there was a mixture of joys and sorrows as always but also unexpected things on a scale we never imagined. The virus rages on with no end in sight. We are thankful we have escaped so far. Only God knows how long it will go on. We can look toward the future and the new year of 2021 with the confidence that God is in control and we are safe in Him no matter what happens. 

Controversial Issues

 The election is finally over and that fuss has died down. I was exceedingly weary of and disgusted with all the political posts on social media. But while that has faded out, other controversial subjects continue to swirl on social media.

People are posting things for and against wearing a mask, for and against vaccines. Each side presents "convincing evidence" for their position. How are we supposed to know who is right in these completely opposite positions?  

I've come to the conclusion that the only thing I learn from the things people post is what they think. If someone is against vaccines, that is what they will post. Same for masking or unmasking, voting in elections, abortion, sexual abuse, racism, and other controversial issues. Social media gives people a virtual soap box from which to shout out their opinions.

I know what I think on these subjects but there is no point in me posting anything on social media about it. If people do not agree with me, what I post will either be ignored or start an argument. I got sucked into that a couple times before I learned to keep my mouth shut.  What I say won't change their minds and they won't change mine. The things people are wound up over will eventually dissolve and they will go on to something else.

In all fairness, there are some advantages to social media. It helps us keep in contact with family and friends who live far from us. In an instant, I can hear from my niece in Bangladesh and see pictures from the refugee camp where she works. I can get the news from the lives of my brothers in Canada and Guatemala without waiting or needing a stamp. It's a great improvement over the snail mail we used years ago. 

Social media is like all other forms of communication. These things are not wrong in themselves. It's how you use it that makes it right or wrong.