Fun Meeting People

While attending the University of Montevallo I met people from all over the world.  Back then, Montevallo was the first school listed under Alabama colleges.  Alabama is the first state listed.  Many foreign students came because of its listing and its lower tuition.

I developed relationships with Rom from India, Boon Hin from Malaysia, Mercedes from Spain, Vanna from Iran, and Dan from Pittsburg.  Now Pennsylvania is in America, but Dan acted like a “fernier”, that is Chiltonian slang for foreigner.

It was fun meeting new people.  It was enlightening to learn from new cultures and seeing things from new perspectives.  I received four years of education from relationships that cannot come from books and lectures.

One intriguing person did not attend school but worked in the University carpenter shop.  He was native Alabamian, from Chilton County.  He wore long hair to cover a place on the back of his head and neck from a scalding accident as a kid. He talked in a slow southern drawl and walked in a slow, carefree, and plowboy manner.  He appeared to have little education but could spell anything.

Being a horrible speller, he and I discussed spelling on many occasions.  He wanted to know how I was an English minor and could not spell.  I told him I spelled with a very limited vocabulary and used a dictionary.  I had not heard of a thesaurus back then.  Boy does a thesaurus help writing these articles. 

He asked me in that slow southern drawl, “If you don’t know how to spell it, how do you look up a word in a dictionary?”  He did have a good point.  This was before computers had spell check. I use spell check, but sometimes it is wrong, and I look up a word in the dictionary and show it to the computer screen and say, “I told you that you was wrong.”  Spell check corrects the spelling but does not give the correct word at times

My friend had another talent.  He had a green thumb when it came to plants.  Plants filled the carpenter shop.  He collected plants from all over the campus that were in the process of dying.  Rather than throwing them away, he would nurture them back to good health.  I can see him now with his squirt bottle of water spraying his babies as he lovingly called them.  He talked to them as he ministered to them.

Where professors and members of housekeeping neglected the plants, my friend nurtured them back to good health.  The plants provided the carpenter shop with oxygen and beauty.  From time-to-time professors and members of housekeeping visited the carpenter shop.  They were amazed at the healthy plants.  Sometimes they did recognize that the plants were their former plants.

My friend retired from the University.  On a visit to the University, I noticed that my friend’s plants remain healthy.  His former coworkers maintain the plants.  My friend frequents the shop to check the plants and give the plants a pep talk.

If you come by our home at Sugar Ridge, you will see plants.  My friend taught me how to nurture and care for plants.  They remind me of my friend.  They remind me of the importance of nurturing people and churches.

I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.  Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.  If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.  If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.   Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. (John 15:1-8 KJV).