Extra Work I've Never Regretted!

In the fall of 1966 I found myself at times working three different jobs. During the week each day I worked in hospital administration at the VA Hospital, in the evenings and on Saturdays I worked for a Gibson’s Disccount Store, a forerunner of the Wal-Mart model, and when I could and they needed me I worked late nights for the hotel operations at the local US Air Force Base. Three jobs at the same time? Yeah, but at twenty years of age, it didn’t seem that taxing.

One of the primary reasons I worked the extra jobs was to provide for our Christmas and buy gifts for others. I know different people have different traditions about celebrating Christmas. We always reverenced the Reason for the Season but enjoyed Santa and the gift giving celebration as well. This was my tradition growing up. Growing up in a Baptist pastor’s home, my wife’s family were much more modest in their approach but she graciously adapted and adopted much of what I had practiced growing up. I know to some there’s a disconnect between honoring the Savior and doing the Santa thing as well. Each one needs to be convicted in their own heart regarding this issue and I never try to persuade anyone that my way is best.

I will never know how my Mom did what she did but somehow and in someway she was able as a widow with six children to make Christmas a blow-out experience nearly every year. I’m talking about the wake up on Christmas morning with toys under the tree already to go for each and every child. Add to that the feasting, the fellowship, the love, warmth, and joy of the season and it was something we began to anticipate months before the actual celebration. By the time Christmas day arrived the Sears Christmas Catalog was nothing but shreds because it had been thumbed through and drooled on for months.

I’ll never forget one Christmas I received a Canadian Mountie pistol set with the holster, shoulder strap, and long barrelled revolver. With this set I could be Sergeant Preston all day long and round up bandits and renegades to my heart’s content. However, my older brother and our first cousin convinced me that if I would put a firecracker in the barrell, it would make it very realistic. I did and once it exploded half of the barrell flew off and I cried for days because of my damaged favorite toy. I’m sure it was glued, taped, and tied back on but it was never the same again.

The Christmas of 1966 was memorable. I had put a number of items in lay away and then worked the extra hours to pay for it all. Our eldest had just turned one in October so you know he needed a full train set. He also needed a huge jumping horse which would put those out in front of Wal-Mart to shame. I can’t remember but I think it was several years later before he could even ride it by himself. I do remember well putting that sucker together. I was doing my best to go by the instructions which included some leather grommets that were supposed to cover the metal connecting ends. You were supposed to soak them and then sweat and slide them to their proper place. It turned out to be an all night sweat the grommet program and I carried four blisters on each hand for the next two weeks.

I was more excited, however, about a gift I had bought for my granddad. He loved to hunt and enjoyed his fried squirrell but it had gotten to where he could not see or hear that well and most of the time he came home empty handed. And let me tell you, Granny Mac could deep fry that squirell and put on a meal that was nothing short of wonderful. Therefore, I had purchased him a goose gun, a 12 gauge shotgun, bolt action, with a 36” barrell. I reasoned that with this longer gun he would have more luck hitting a squirrell high up in the trees.

I’ll never forget him opening that shotgun. He looked at it and with that gleam in his eye said, “Well son, all I need is their name and address because when I get to their tree I’ll just reach up there and knock them down”. Do I remember any of the sleep I lost during my three job stint? Do I remember how really tired I was? Nope. Occasionally when I open my closet and see that shotgun leaning in the corner I can see the look on Paw Paw Mac’s face the day he got that gun. Now that’s a memory worth keeping! More later………