“We are not to throw away those things which can benefit our neighbor. Goods are called good because they can be used for good: they are instruments for good, in the hands of those who use them properly.”
-Clement of Alexandria
Sometimes our most treasured possessions are ones that never fully serve the purpose for which they were originally intended. Things re-made or reused for something that proved to be a better use for them. I’m sure everyone can think of an item around the house that has been repurposed, whether it be an old peanut butter jar for loose nails or a watering can turned into a flower pot.
I guess the same can be said for our lives when you think about it. We may think we know our purpose, or how life’s gonna go, and then God “repurposes” us for something different from what we expected. We get thrown a curveball that we didn’t see coming, and our normal way of life gets turned upside down.
If we are lucky, there are people who help us through the period of transition that inevitably follows. Someone who becomes a steadying force. Someone who knows where we have come from and helps us anyway he or she can with our new reality. I am reminded of one of those people in my own life every time I step out onto my back deck and sit on the bench pictured above.
For those lucky enough to have known my friend Val—or Mr. P as many knew him—besides benefitting from the lowered blood pressure his presence often created, we were given a great example of how to not only repurpose certain material items, but a blueprint to follow that helped us to be better human beings and more present to those we come into contact with on a daily basis.
The dedicated husband, father, and friend had many talents. He was a jack-of-all trades and tireless worker. He could fix just about anything and spent much of his time helping others with their projects instead of working on his own. But it was his ability to connect with others that all who knew him should seriously consider emulating. It’s something our current cell phone-addicted, technologically focused society direly needs in 2024.
Val had an uncanny ability to make every person he encountered feel heard, understood, supported, and incredibly special. It was never about him, but all about the person in front of him. After a firm handshake or a warm hug, he was absolutely dialed into the conversation, hanging on every word. He never interrupted anyone to add to a story or one-up what they were saying. Instead, he exuded empathy while listening to the words he considered himself honored to be entrusted with.
When it was his turn to speak, you couldn’t help but feel at ease and content. You didn’t want to be anywhere else. Whether he was speaking about his childhood in a little town called East Brady, the joy that coaching his son Chris had brought him, or the delicious baked fish the love of his life, Mary Lou, had made for supper—Mr. P was able to make the everyday things sound extra-ordinary.
Eleven years ago when I first moved into my little house on Landis, I remember standing in the kitchen and seeing Val sitting on my back deck—a place I had not bought any furniture for yet. I walked outside to see him relaxing on a unique-looking, long, wooden bench. He stood up, shook my hand with that familiar strong grip, and softly said, “ Hey, Tommy, I thought you could use a sitting bench back here.”
There I was, essentially forced to “repurpose” my personal life, and he had created a one-of-a-kind sitting bench from about twenty random pieces of wood in his garage. He didn’t throw away those various scraps; instead—using his own hands—he made them instruments of good for a friend in transition, who needed a simple act of kindness in order to get through a tough time. He wasn’t focused on himself. It was a beautiful gift made possible by purposeful repurposing.
I think of and miss my friend everytime I look at that beautifully handcrafted piece of patio furniture. He taught me a lot. Maybe more than anything else, his example will always remind those of us who knew him to be present for others the way he always was during his 80 trips around the sun. Pretty sure no one did it better. Thanks Mr. P.
-Tommy O’Sionnach
Thanks Patty! My student teacher is learning about the FID. Online classes are the worst! Hope all is well with you!
Tawmmy! Hahahahahahahaha