History

I want to share the history lesson(s) I've experienced in the last couple of days.  To start, let me give you an overview.

My dad served our Country in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.  His duty assignment was on the USS Enterprise (no, not the Starship Enterprise) between 1970-1972.  On 1 Dec, the Enterprise will be, "Inactivated" and the process to dismantle her will begin.  Dad was invited to attend the ceremony and to tour the Enterprise one final time.  So, dad, mom, my middle son Will, and myself have traveled to Norfolk, VA to tour the Enterprise.

The first history lesson was learned during the ride up here.  It was a lot of fun listening to mom and dad reminisce about the trips they had taken on the very same route some 42 years ago.  "Well now this road was just a two lane road the last time we were here."  When dad was drafted into the Navy, he and mom decided to get married.  The interesting part here is that my grandmother (notice I didn't say, "grandfather") had to sign off for mom to marry because she was only 16 at the time.  Can you believe that she was only 16?!  So dad went off to basic and received orders for his first duty assignment on the Enterprise which was docked at Norfolk for her first nuclear refueling.  Mom and dad moved up to Norfolk for six months while the ship was in port.

I learned on this trip that mom and dad collectively earned $90 per month in late 1970 (about $530 in today's money) and they lived in a small apartment.  My mom worked at a place called, "Shakey's Pizza".  I think my grandparents only knew it as Shakey's Pizza because they'd have had a duck if they knew their 17 year old daughter was playing piano for a bunch of drunks in a bar.  LOL!  Mom talked about how that she and three other sailor's wives would work together to by groceries and gas.  Mom and dad were the only one's with a car; a 1963 Ford Falcon with a busted out back window.  Now this was during the winter and being the good educated folks from the upstate of South Carolina they were, they obtained the finest clear plastic and duct tape they could find and taped up the back window.  My great aunt Felcie and other members of the family would take turns sending them gas money to make the trip home when dad would have leave time while in port.  They would then make the eight hour trip home and back in the Falcon with the plastic window. 

Today, we got to tour the Enterprise and I must admit, I was extremely humbled to witness the extreme amount of pride held by every sailor we came in contact with both past and present.  I've heard mom and dad tell stories about the how the community in Norfolk took care of the sailors and their families and I have witnessed that sense of pride today.  Our tour guides were two individuals with jobs that according to society, were less than desirable.  But these two young people spoke of those jobs as if they were the most important jobs in the world.  Why? Because they understood that we all have an important role to play in life and that each of us are important.

Now, if you have continued to read to this point, let me share my thoughts with you.  My mom and dad made a commitment to each other when they got married and that commitment meant something to them.  How many newlyweds would stay committed to each other, out of town, in an apartment, working at a bar, collectively earning $530 a month in today's economy?  How many 18 year old individuals would brag about cleaning up after people or working in a chow line? 

God hasn't called all of us to be Billy Grahams, presidents, or millionaires, but he has called us to do a job for him.  He only asks that we do the very best we can at the task he has for us.  I can tell you that I have been humbled by many real world examples of such commitment.  I for one am proud of mom and dad because they chose to be committed and set the example for me.  I can only hope that I am setting the example for others like has been set before me.

Lord, thank you for the examples you've provided for me.  Help me to earn the efforts and examples set by those before me by setting the example for those around me and who will follow me.