Happy Father’s Day
My father died when I was 13 years old – a time when young girls need a father figure to show them what to look for in a male friend, husband and father. About 3 years later a man came into my mother’s life in a strange set of circumstances
My mom and her girlfriend decided to audit a college course in Human Anatomy and the professor was an engaging, middle aged man with a great sense of humor and a great ability to teach. The students loved him and you could tell he thoroughly enjoyed them. Being of a certain age amongst the college age students made the red head and the brunette stand out and slowly after the course ended they became friends. My mother and he along with her girlfriend and husband began playing golf and having dinner together. It was then that I got to know “the professor”. He taught me how to drive a stick shift and while I probably made hamburger meat out of his transmission, the only sign of stress was the sweat on his face. He gave me my first job in his science lab where I learned about microbiology, how to sterilize the equipment. and where, in fact, I would meet my husband.
More importantly, I believe that God brought the professor into our lives so that I could see what a good man looks like. He was patient, kind, thoughtful, funny, intelligent, and loved me like I was his own child. While he had friends of influence, and friends of simple means; he treated everyone with the same respect. There was a janitor who had been at the college for many years who retired due to ill health. Professor remained in contact with him and found that he was having trouble making ends meet. Every couple of weeks under the pretense of keeping the retired janitor up to date on the comings and goings at the University, the Professor would buy several bags of groceries and always include a special treat he knew his friend.
When I happen to mention in passing meeting a ‘Thad Schoen’ while working in the bio building; he told his secretary that Thad was a nice boy and she needs to make sure we got to know one another better! Professor also employed my husband part time to help him make ends meet while he worked towards his master’s degree in immunology. When Thad was looking to get his Ph.D. at Duke it was the professor who encouraged him to move up to North Carolina, and work while writing his Master’s Thesis and waiting to get accepted into the program. He even gave us $100.00 to drive up and look for jobs (and yes, it paid for a week of lodging, food, and gas) – jobs which in the end started our lives together and are still going strong almost 50 years later. Before we left to move to North Carolina, Professor gave me a note which read –
“Loretta, May He watch over your destinies and know that I love you with all my heart.” VRS, August 1974
All these years later, I still carry this faded but still vibrant sentiment in my wallet as a reminder that God is good and so was his child – The Professor.
It is without a doubt that God sent the professor into my life to help heal the loss of my father, to show me the way a good man lives his life, and to guide me to the arms of my future husband. What we may see as a loss or difficult time in our lives, God sees as opportunities for growth and prosperity. I am forever grateful for Professor’s love and kindness to both my mother and I. But I will be eternally grateful to God for placing him in my life.
Thank you for reading my post. If you have found it encouraging please consider liking, commenting or sharing it. Feel free to even re-blog – may these words take flight!
I have additional insights I’d love to share with you found in the pages of my debut book: Surviving Medical Mayhem – Laughing When It Hurts. To order a copy or learn more go to my website at www.lorettaschoen.com
Blessings for Health & Wellness.