Good Morning,
There is a hot cup of Door County Chocolate Cherry Coffee siting on a plate next to me at my desk and it is time to write. Yesterday would have been my parents 69th wedding anniversary. Although they have passed on I still celebrate the day a little, by just remembering them on their big day. I promised to share something I learned from each of them and now it is Dad's turn to have one of his many lessons shared.
Matthew 23:3 ESV So do and observe what they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach but do not practice.
Proverbs 16:18 ESV Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
I received the assignment from my dad to paint the exterior of our home when I was about 13 years old. Dad went to Sears and purchased enough paint for me to start and finish the job. He said with weather permitting I would be done in five days. Our home was a small single story Cape Cod type house, so it really wasn't a large task but just enough to keep a 13 year old busy for 5 days. You still needed to use an extension ladder at the the peaks of the house. The paint job also included the trim work in white and that was a little more detailed. In order to do the job correctly removal of the old flaked paint required scraping the house and cleaning up the paint chips. So the house looked a lot worse before it looked better.
I started in on the scraping portion of the work and found out that a thirteen year old will sooner than later decide that moving a ladder is a pain and reaching beyond safe limits is an approach to finish the work quicker and more efficiently.
Everything was going smoothly until the ladder I was using tipped and slipped a little, causing me to fall from the ladder and land on my backside. Dad heard the noise and knew what happened and the ensuing chewing out of a 13 year old began. Physically I was fine, but after hearing what the cost of paint was at least 5 times, and then how to safely use a ladder to OSHA standards and how my unsafe use of the ladder would be the cause of the next 5 wars, I was humbled beyond belief, yet allowed to safely paint the home. It was an experience in ladder use I never have forgotten.
Now here is the lesson for the day and I wish Dear old Dad were here for me to give that lesson right back to him . Many, many years later Dad needed to do some roof repairs on his home at the lake. He told me by telephone of his need to do those repairs. Dad was 84 years old and I told him that I could do those repairs on the weekend when I came for a visit. It would be best for him to stay off of a ladder. I was reminded of who brought me into this world and that he had been climbing ladders before I was born and my insult of his abilities would be the cause of the cause of the next 4 wars and two financial crashes. I was reminded of who taught me ladder safety after I fell ( I did not spill any paint. That detail was added to the story as years went by)
This story has an ending. Guess who did not secure the ladder from sliding on the gutter? Oh yes Mr. OSHA approved Senior Schutte had his ladder move while coming off of the roof and my cousin's husband found him the next day, dead from the fall.
Lesson learned Dad. Practice what you preach and "there are no short cuts to safety." At least that was the lesson I learned.! Friends, there are no short cuts to safety and pride goes before the fall.
Love to all,
Marty
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