Monthly Archives: November 2022

By Doug Creamer

A Father-in-Law’s Wisdom

            I first met the man who would become my father-in-law in the parking lot of a gas station. I was coming home for a weekend from college, and brought his daughter to him. I was bringing paying riders to help cover my gas bill.  He was not a tall man but I was impressed by the strength of his handshake. Little did he know that four years and countless trips later I would marry his daughter. My father-in-law, Bob Nordstrom, passed away a few weeks ago.

            Bob grew up on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The stories he told me from his youth are fascinating. He met and knew some of the most interesting people you can ever imagine. One time we went over to the Eastern Shore and he showed us his childhood church, school, several places he lived, and his childhood home. His childhood home was dilapidated and falling down. The walls were still in place and he explained where each room was in the house.

            Over the years he told me many stories about the people from the Eastern Shore. He told me about many of his family adventures. He talked about fishing almost every day because that was how they got their protein. Times were hard growing up during the depression. He told how his dad bought his brother a BB gun and his brother went out on the beach and shot a number of little shore birds. His father made him clean every one of those tiny little birds, which took so long for so little food. He said they learned not to shoot something unless they planned to eat it.

            He shared many stories of the men he knew. Three of my favorites included a man who jumped into the bay and swam while pulling a large boat to a dock. Another man could pick up a 500 pound barrel. The third man went AWOL from his Norfolk naval base because he wanted a home-cooked meal. When the MPs caught up with him on the Eastern Shore, he was able to escape. He swam back across the bay to his Norfolk base, where they found the guy asleep in his bunk. The judge who heard the case dismissed the charges, saying a man couldn’t have swam both ways across the bay. I always thought someone who owned a boat must have given him a ride. 

            The thing about spending any time with Bob was that he was always going to tell you a story. Sometimes when we arrived home after driving five hours he would greet us at the door, and while shaking my hand would launch into a one of his wonderful stories. Many of his stories were funny and all contained the many interesting people he knew in his lifetime.

            When I asked if he knew any interesting weather stories he told me about some hurricanes he experienced as a child. I wondered why he was never a fan of snow until the day he told me about his father having a heart attack on a snowy day and the doctor wasn’t able to get there in time to save his father’s life. Another reason for disliking snow was when my wife was little he got caught at work by a bad storm and was unable to get home. He had to sleep on the floor in the lobby of a hotel in downtown Norfolk because all the rooms in town were booked by others who were stranded.

            Much of the wisdom Bob shared with me came during dishwashing sessions. My mother-in-law is a great cook and after we enjoyed her delicious cooking he would get up and start washing the dishes. I rinsed and dried. He taught me a lot about life, people, how to handle difficult situations, what was really important, love, and laughter. We always laughed and I hope I never forget his funny stories.

            Bob had a deep, strong faith. He rarely missed church and served as a deacon.  He taught me much about church leadership and how to make important decisions. He loved the old hymns and remembered the words. In his later years, he would tell me that he could remember a line from a song but couldn’t remember the whole song. I would type the line in Google and up would pop the song. We would listen to it together. Sometimes they were hymns and other times songs from his childhood. It was great fun.

            Bob has finished his race and now he is in his heavenly home. He is not in pain any more. He can remember all those old hymns. His arms are strong and his handshake firm. His smile is broad and his eyes are brilliant bright blue. If you meet him I imagine he will be telling a story. I encourage you to stop and listen because at the end of that story will be a piece of wisdom or one good laugh you will not want to miss. For us, we carry the hope in our hearts that we will join him and of this I am sure…he will greet us with a great story.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com

By Doug Creamer

            Last Friday I worked at getting up the leaves from my yard. My preferred method is to use my lawnmower and bag the leaves. I like to collect them and put them in my garden to enrich the soil. I worked for a couple of hours getting the leaves up. I went inside and got a glass of tea and relaxed, feeling that wonderful sense of accomplishment.

            I looked out the window a few hours later to bask in my accomplishment, only to discover that my yard was covered in leaves again. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The wind had blown a whole new group of leaves down. The new leaves will have to wait until next week.

            On Saturday I got some pansies and violas from the local garden center and worked on planting them in our planters. My wife and I like to see things blooming. In the middle of the bleak winter we can go outside and enjoy these wonderful flowering treasures. While I was busy planting them I watched my neighbors working hard to collect their leaves. They created a huge pile in front of their homes. The next morning there was a whole new crop of leaves waiting for them, too.

            Some fall chores, like getting the leaves up and cleaning the gutters, have to be done multiple times during the season. I guess in some ways it is similar to pulling weeds. As soon as you finish there will be a whole new crop waiting for you. So we go out and do these chores over again as often as it needs doing. It seems to me that leaf collecting persists into early January.

            I was thinking about how the Lord works hard at teaching us lessons. Some lessons we are bound to repeat over and over again, like getting up the leaves. Some lessons in our spiritual walks come easy and we learn them quickly. But if you are like me, some of life’s lessons take a few times through to actually learn. I think about forgiving myself when I stumble and fall. I find it much easier to forgive others than to forgive myself. So God brings that lesson to my attention again until it finally sinks in.

            God wants us to learn and grow in our spiritual lives. The only way to grow is through lessons. Being a teacher, I work on ways to construct lessons so my students will grasp the concepts and grow. My lesson starts with a solid foundation and then pushes them. God does the same thing with us. He looks at our lives and picks an area that needs improvement… we all have plenty of those areas. Then he designs a lesson to drive the point home.

            This year God has been working on teaching me how important exercise is in my life. I have always been an active person but can become inactive in the extreme heat of summer and on the coldest winter days. I am content with waiting for better weather. My doctor talked with me this year about the benefits of walking. He told me that walking has physical, mental and spiritual benefits. Walking gives me the opportunity to think and process things as well as the opportunity to talk with my Heavenly Father.

            When my allergies kicked up in October I stopped walking. I hardly had the energy to walk to the kitchen to eat. When my allergies quieted back down I did not return to my walking routine. It’s easy to stop good habits. I was busy with other things; I didn’t have time to walk. The trouble is I could see physical, mental, and spiritual declines in my life. I couldn’t figure out why. God was trying to whisper the answer but I wasn’t listening. I wasn’t walking, thinking, or praying like I should have been. Lessons!   

            I want to encourage you to continue working on the lessons God is working on in your life. He is there knocking on the door of your heart, wanting to help you learn your lessons. I know it requires work, but the benefit is that He will help you because He is trying to mold you into the image of His Son. If you are still struggling with the same lesson over and over again, don’t worry, He will be patient with you. He sees great potential in your life and wants to bring out the good things He has stored up in you. You will pass the test soon enough because He is helping you to overcome and succeed.

Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com