I wish I could honestly say that I have no regrets. If I could,
it wouldn’t be close to the truth. It
wouldn’t even be 50 yards from the truth, whatever that means, but you get the
point. What I can admit is I’ve done a lot of things wrong and although it
would warp the time-space continuum, I wish I could right a few wrongs. I also
wish I could reward those choice people who have shaped my life, but are now in
my distant past.
One in particular was a school teacher in Morgan, Utah.
I do not remember her name or face, but she made a huge impact on my life
simply by giving me a book. My Dad’s job caused us to move frequently, so much
of my school years are foggy memories of only faces and classes.
It was Christmas morning somewhere around 1962 and I rode my
new bike through the snow to her house to show it off. I didn’t really know
anyone and for some reason, it was important for me to show it to her. She was
delighted and for my effort, she gave me a one volume very thick illustrated encyclopedia.
I loved that book and poured through it daily and this was probably one reason
I still love to read. We moved away and I never had a chance to thank her.
I think I was born with a rebellious nature, distrusting
authority from a young age. A psychiatrist would probably say it was because of
my dad and he’d probably be right. My dad always worked and worked and worked
to support a family of 5 kids. Being the oldest boy, I usually had a spanking
coming for one of our offenses and mainly my transgressions.
It wasn’t until my early 20’s that this flaw was pointed out
to me by a sage of a man named George Theobald. I worked with George at ARCO
Chemical in Channelview. He became a mentor to
me and was wise beyond his 40 plus years. “Your problem is you resent
authority, Bert. If you could ever conquer that, you will be a lot happier
man.”
George was a farrier on the side, shoeing horses and opened
a feed store up Highway 90 way and I lost contact with him. I wish I could meet
up with him again and thank him for the influence he had on my life.
My dad is no longer with us and he’s another I should have
expressed gratitude to. Sometimes those who are closest to us are the hardest
ones to share our innermost feelings. My dad was not an affectionate man by
today’s standards, but I never doubted he loved me or cared about my future. He
was a product of his own dad and that meant never letting up on his
expectations of me, often using ridicule to try to force me forward.
It sounds horribly incorrect by today’s standards, but like
I said, even though I didn’t like it, I never doubted his love for me and our
family. I think I was about 45 the first time I remember hearing him say he
loved me. It was quite a shock, but not overly uncommon from his generation
I’ve learned. Dad taught my siblings and me many valuable skills and lessons
and it was done by example. It was years later that I realized the depth of his
instruction. Maybe that is why I am drawn to being an instructor in a number of
disciplines like Bible studies, Hunter education, Martial arts, or my latest
Indoor cycling.
My mom is still the guiding hand of the family, even in her
80’s. My youngest brother never fails to amaze me with his ability to properly
decipher any situation. He is the Perry Mason of the family and I learn
something from him every time we chat.
Throughout my past are literally hundreds of people who have
helped me change direction and it would be mind-bending to attempt to track
them down. Some spoke to me and offered their opinion. Other times I heard them
speak and decided to adopt that line of thought. Here is the summation of this
week’s column; you never know when you will meet one of these good folks, so
try to latch onto them. Let them know what they are saying is important and
right then thank them.
Tomorrow may be too late.
.
