Values

Reading the story about how Sy Safransky started "The Sun" made me think of the shoebox. My dad came from the old country. He often reminded me how he felt that every day here was a privilege. He was a cabinetmaker in the old country, I think. A least, he loved working with wood and his hands.

My most vivid memories growing up are about my dad teaching me values. According to my dad, providing for yourself was top of the list of important things to achieve. There was a distinct difference between a gift and something you earned. In fact, now that I think about it, even a gift from Dad was earned by doing the right thing: homework, yardwork, behaving.

Dad introduced his value system to me gradually. We began with the concept of allowance. If he promised something, he'd come through. And, allowance was an agreement we had between eachother. I got my allowance, which began in the 60's when I was less than 10, and ranged from $0.25 to about $2.50/week. If I wanted something, I had an allowance to provide for it.

I mowed lawns to earn extra money. I remember edging was considered too dangerous until I was much older. I remember shopping the classified advertisements for used lawnmowers. When we found one, which was a Sears self-propelled mower, I was ecstatic. It was beautiful and only $35.00. My dad explained to me that we'd have to come to a payback arrangement. I had allowance and would make $2.50-$5.00 per lawn. No rush, he explained, but payback was necessary.

I can remember going to the hobby store and shopping for airplane parts with Dad. I was so happy as the clerk pulled part after part from the shelf. My dad let me ask for whatever I wanted and then paid for everything. When we left, I thanked him. He stopped and looked at me. He said "No rush. You can pay it back whenever you can." I can remember crying, having thought it was a gift.

But, the memory that stands out today is of the shoe shine box. Early in my "career", I asked my dad for something or other. He gently said, "Come with me." We walked together into the beloved workshop. And, we made the shoe shine box you see above. He used his old-world woodworking skills to craft the most beautiful shoe shine box for me. And, he took out a propane torch and showed me a technique of finishing the pine by burning the softer, sappy grain so it showed.

Then, we drove to the Walgreens and he sat me in front of the store.

Memories of my youth. Values. Dad.