Monday, July 20, 2020
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My mom taught me to always have a field of work that I could support myself and any children I had by myself on, and to learn everything I could about "men's work" (i.e. changing tires, tuning up your car, fixing a leaking faucet, mowing the lawn, etc) because even if you are as lucky as she is, to have a good man, you never know when God is going to call him home, and you will have to take care of your family by yourself. She insisted that I take typing, ten-key (not helpful now, but kept me employed), and taught me basic general office skills and and bookkeeping herself. By the time I entered first grade, I knew enough general office skills, that instead of going to recess after lunch, I would work in the school front office, so the ladies that worked there could take a their lunch breaks. I did everything from filing papers, to answering the phone and taking messages, to serving people who came to the front counter. By the time I graduated High School, I could type 90 wpm, run a 10 key with my left hand so I could double my time bookkeeping by writing with my right hand, and sort and file a pile of invoices in minutes accurately. Every job I entered, I started out at the bottom, and within 3 months would work my way up to a much better paying, and interesting job. At one point, I interviewed for Canby Telephone Company and at first Mrs. Lewellyen wasn't going to hire me because I was over-qualified for the only job they had opened; mail currier. I convinced her to take a chance on me, and I knew that she would find somewhere better to put me to work; I wouldn't leave her for a better job. Four months after I started, the CEO of the Company stopped me on my rounds and asked me to come into his office. He started by asking me how I liked being the mail currier, to which I replied, "It's pretty cool. I love the little truck, I get to know pretty much everyone who works here and what they do, and the day goes by really fast. Why?" He then asked me if I would be interested in being Mrs. Lewellyen's Assistant in setting up the new Acquisition of Cable Service for Canby and Aurora? It would mean some early mornings and late evenings, and I would be responsible for completely setting up the line-up of channels, billing, both receivables and payables, filing systems, designing forms and pamphlets, etc., and a $600 a month raise. I was always able to find a job within 2 weeks of looking, and I was always able to support my daughter and myself comfortably, even while I put myself through 13 years of University while raising a teenager. All because my mom taught me to be self-reliant. I spent most of my time around my dad, building fences, stacking wood in the shed we had just built, going to the dump, even installing toilet partitions, and when I moved out of the house, he gave me a little orange toolbox filled with all the tools I need to make basic repairs around the house. Both mom and dad were big about knowing how to take care of things, but mom was much more adamant about the fact that women needed to be self-reliant. To this day, I still have my orange tool box, with all the tools and some I've added along the way. It is because of her steady hand and advice, that I have weathered many storms, such as life is, and I will always be grateful to her for this.
The greatest thing my mom taught me is Grace. I truly believe that in a Pictionary, my mom's picture would be under Grace. I only heard her say a mean word about one person in my life, and he was cruel to a dog. She truly believed in looking at the bright side of life, and finding good in every person and every situation. She taught me to laugh at my problems. It has taken me a long time to appreciate Grace and to incorporate it into my own life. I'm not very tactful, known for my bluntness (not because I want to be mean nor rude, I just don't do fluff), so Grace does not come naturally for me. However, I have come to realize that Grace is one of the biggest things humanity is missing. So I work at it each day. I try to get better at it each day. In Honor of my mother. One of my Heroes.
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