My dad retired yesterday. I spoke with him last night and was surprised to hear how bittersweet this was for him. I assumed he'd be THRILLED to finally not have to work constantly well into his 70s, but that wasn't the case. He was genuinely heart-sick to leave the friends he'd made and abandon riders who had come to love and depend on him.
Also, he said he loved the feeling of expertly navigating a giant behemoth through traffic. Probably explains his leather driving gloves with the flames on them.
Of the stories he told me from his last day, two stuck out.
One of his regular riders is homeless. Actually, many of them are, but it's important to this story. She brought him a card and some presents, including a multi-function pocketknife which included a knife, spoon and fork. She also gave him her phone number and asked him to call her at Christmas. He full wept when telling me this.
He told the very last rider that he was the very last rider as he was dis-em-bussing. The rider said, "Going home for the day?" to which Daddy replied, "No, you're my LAST rider. Today's my last day!"
The rider asked what he'd be doing next and Daddy talked about his plans to do marriage counseling training and divorce care for pastors (meaning training pastors how to do it). This led to a conversation about how the rider's marriage was on the rocks. Daddy gave him his contact information and a plan to get together to help, if he could.
I'd first like to point out that Daddy isn't really retiring although he doesn't have to work to support himself anymore. He's just now able to do something that he's wanted to do for years, to work for free to help strengthen and preserve marriages. He will still be working, it just won't be for a check.
Second, these are just two stories from a full day's worth of stories. And this day is one day of many days at that job. I had the opportunity to go on rounds with him earlier this year. All day, every day, he's doing this. Talking to riders and co-workers. He's genuinely interested in them and their stories. And his desire to know them has led to encounter after encounter where he has done things like:
* Pay for someone's Uber who missed a connection and needed to get home.
* Buy food for the hungry.
* Give advice to those who needed it.
* Give respect to those who never receive it.
* Protect those being abused by someone else on the bus.
* Give grace and mercy to those who are rude assholes.
* Just listen to those who are never heard.
Whether intentionally or not, he treated everyone he met as if they are actually bearers of the Imago Dei and they felt it. He didn't necessarily preach to or try to convert anyone. He just ... LOVED them, and they knew it. I heard the stories of his riders first hand and they fucking loved him. He was, hands down, their favorite driver. And, not for nothing, he liked getting them where they needed to be on time which, for someone who has to ride the bus, means a whole hell of a lot.
You know, Daddy wasn't always this way. He used to be a pompous ass by his own admission. There's a story he tells about one of his brothers, knowing that he loved classical music, getting him a compilation record. Daddy mocked it because it was just a "greatest hits," not a "deep cuts" like a true connoisseur like himself needed. I don't know if the brother remembers it at all, but it galls Daddy whenever he thinks of it. He is ashamed. It's probably because life has beaten humility into him. I'd like to think I played a large role in that. You're welcome, Daddy. But that humility helps him to see God in everyone.
On to my main point. Do you remember the Ray Boltz song "Thank You (For Giving to the Lord)"? Maaaaan, I do. It was nigh inescapable in the 80s and 90s. It's the story of a woman who goes to heaven to be greeted by people who pre-deceased her and were in heaven because she had witnessed or given money to a missionary, etc. The chorus goes:
Thaaaaaaaank yoooooooou for giving to the Lord.
I am a life that was chaaaaaaaaaanged.
Thaaaaaaaank yoooooooou for giving to the Lord.
I am soooooo glaaad you gaaaaaave.
If you were a member of a Southern Baptist church during that time, it was MANDATORY that song be played during the Lottie Moon offering for missions. It was all 187 verses of "Just As I Am" for the altar call and "Thank You" for Lottie Moon. They might not have a creed, but they have those two songs. Yup.
Anyway, as Daddy was telling me his stories, that's the song that popped into my head. It was interesting, because, as I said, Daddy hadn't been witnessing to any of these people. He just ... SAW them. And he loved them. I believe he made more impact in their lives and for the Kingdom of God driving that bus than all of the Chick tracts that were ever handed out.
Speaking of Chick Tracts, there's this one called "This Was Your Life." The premise is that you die and watch a movie of your life that everyone else sees too and you feel shame for all your failings. Hopefully, you got saved at some point to make up for all the shame. To be honest, that's still the idea I have in my head. I know it's what Daddy has in his. He feels more aware of his failings than any good he has done.
But, I believe he's going to have a big "Thank You" moment of people whose lives he has changed. And I believe that a LARGE cadre of those people will just be co-workers and bus-riders.
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