ADJUSTING chapter 189

One of the Rambo twins, Dave Rambo,
Me with my son Rodney on my shoulders
at a preschool picnic 1974.

There were times I wandered around the school like any new student. I was in awe. Awe that I was there. It was hard to forget my own experience as a CBC student. I was in awe that I was ever asked. I knew the school had changed and loved the fact that I had something to do it with. However, the pain was not yet gone. I was in awe that the school was growing and changing. I was in awe that the college culture was changing. I know there are always students who want more freedom, but it was like a day on the beach in instead of prison. I loved what I was seeing.

The other side of the coin was the fears. I was fearful of dealing with the issues at my house. I shared the painting problem with my house in some of my classes and 10-12 guys volunteered to come paint the place. I honestly didn’t say it to secure help, but was glad it came forward. There was about four feet of space between the house on the east and three feet on the west. Our house sat right on the property line to the west so any painting could only be reached by planting a ladder on the neighbor’s property. 

The high peaks of our house were on the east and west sides, easily three stories high. I had no idea how we would get a ladder in there to reach those points. I borrowed some ladders from maintenance, the boys came and the house was painted in a day. Neither Della nor I could watch the guys climbing to the top of the peaks. Nothing about it looked safe. Even worse was Dave Collins on the roof leaning over to paint the fascia boards and the eves. He was crazy, but got the job done.

Don Graham and his wife became good friends and besides helping with the painting he came back and built a closet in out bedrooms. There were none. I have no skills in construction and he was excellent. He, more than anyone else, helped get our home settled in that first year. He was God’s gift to us.

Della made sure there were snacks and drinks for all our volunteers. She was always the most gifted hostess. She also tried to keep Rhonda off the ladders. She was a climber and wanted to go up and see what was going on. I’m sure she would have gone to the top if we had let her.

As the weather got colder we took out a loan to have the house rewired. Having seen some of the garbage coming out of the walls, we did feel safer when the work was done. The foyer looked the worse so we wallpapered over the plaster and, if I so say so myself - and I do, we made those crooked walls look straight. Miracle.

I was afraid of messing up in class. I relaxed before the end of the year, but those early weeks were tense. There were a number of former youth group members from Saskatoon and Vancouver but I had very few of them in classes. The guys were all in pastoral studies and so I missed the opportunity to have most in classes. The sad part of that was I had I have very little connection to those kids I really loved. All others were strangers. I felt like I was on trial every day and I was trying to read the judgments in their faces.

I felt incompetent compared to my peers. All were experienced teachers and highly admired. Could I ever join their ranks as a knowledgeable and skilled professional? In that first year I often brought a sack lunch and ate in the faculty lounge with several others. I loved Bob Willoughby being there. He made me feel accepted and comfortable, and he had been my highly admired professor. We laughed every day. He talked with the faculty and staff like he did with the students. When he thought he might say something the high muckity-mucks might disapprove he would turn his head from side to side and say, “Shut the door.” I always laughed. The door was always shut.

Time heals all wounds. After a few weeks of classes under my belt I finally began to feel like I belonged. Once adjusted, I loved being there. It was where God had called me and it was a joy. Yes, I had my problems. You will read about them as we go along.