Jay’s Mentor

This morning I was having breakfast with “Jay,” one of our regulars, a man in his mid 60’s who was reminiscing about his past and telling me about a man who was a mentor to him.  He said when he was 13 years old, the man put a pant brush in his hand and sent him up 35 feet to paint a house.  This resulted in a business they worked in for some years.  He told me more about what other work he had gotten involved in over the years and then said to me: “All of the young men I hung with are gone now,” implying that if he hadn’t had the mentorship of this wise man, he’d be gone with them.  The man is old now and has had a stroke.  He’s in Henry Ford Hospital, and Jay said, “I visit him every other day.”  Gratitude goes a long way, and now, Jay as he gets older, is growing in wisdom and grace—and gratitude.

Jay stopped in my office later to talk, and when he left, he asked for a piece of candy from the bowl next to where he sat.  I said, “Help yourself,” and he took one piece.  I invited him to take more, and he said, “No, one is enough; I have to watch my weight.”  That was a first.  Usually, a person will grab a fist full! - Br. Bob