For Mr. B
“MR B”
How does one take the measure of a man; to dare to sum up a life in a few words? Anything we can write or say will be but a tiny glimpse of the man that we remember and honor. Nonetheless, a life lived in such a way should be praised and celebrated among us here and now.
It is an understatement that Mr. B. positively impacted many lives.
Along with Mr. Frank Wright and Mr. Pete Nunnery, Mr. B would regularly take the Boy Scout Troop to Camp Palmetto in NC. At the camp there was a chapel way up the mountain, high above and separated from the other buildings. A path led up past the cabins and wound its way along the mountainside among the bushes and trees as it made its way up to the chapel.
The last section of that path had signposts in sequence with the words of the Scout Law: “A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.”
After the long climb to the chapel, we scouts were reminded by these words of how we should live our lives; reminded just before we were to enter the chapel for worship. These words were not just taught to us by rote or just posted along the pathway - they were lived out before us by Mr. B.
“Mr. B. was Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.” He was these and more because he shared the love of Christ with everyone he encountered.
We would all do well if we could live our lives with such a Christ-like servant attitude as Mr. B. With a servant’s heart Mr. B surrendered his time and energy and was available for service to those around him. He has a special place in the heart of every youth (and once-upon-a-time youth) who ever spent time with him in such places as Sunday School or Scouts. He had a tremendous impact on our lives because he shared the love of Christ with us - and we love him for it!
In recent days, many of us have shared memories and thoughts of Mr. B.:
One says “…when I was born our families were next door neighbors until I was a year old. He told everyone he came across how I used to pee on his lap when he held me...it was a little embarrassing yet strangely endearing...he seemed so proud to tell it and enjoyed telling it. Oddly enough, that is such a fond memory of him.”
Another says “You just couldn't help it. He made you love him.”
And another “{I imagine} Mr. B up there getting his Angel Wings”
And another “I can still see him driving down the bypass in that Shell gas tank truck
waving to everybody!”
And another “I imagined him taking that first full breathe that he hasn't been able to in sooooo long.”
Mr. B. has finished that last long climb up life’s path to the highest chapel for worship. He has left us signposts along the way to remind us of how we should live our lives; those signposts are the memories we have of him; the lessons he taught us and the example of how he shared Christ’s love with us.
How does one take the measure of a man; to dare to sum up a life in a few words? Anything we can write or say will be but a tiny glimpse of the man that we remember and honor. Nonetheless, a life lived in such a way should be praised and celebrated among us here and now.
It is an understatement that Mr. B. positively impacted many lives.
Along with Mr. Frank Wright and Mr. Pete Nunnery, Mr. B would regularly take the Boy Scout Troop to Camp Palmetto in NC. At the camp there was a chapel way up the mountain, high above and separated from the other buildings. A path led up past the cabins and wound its way along the mountainside among the bushes and trees as it made its way up to the chapel.
The last section of that path had signposts in sequence with the words of the Scout Law: “A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.”
After the long climb to the chapel, we scouts were reminded by these words of how we should live our lives; reminded just before we were to enter the chapel for worship. These words were not just taught to us by rote or just posted along the pathway - they were lived out before us by Mr. B.
“Mr. B. was Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.” He was these and more because he shared the love of Christ with everyone he encountered.
We would all do well if we could live our lives with such a Christ-like servant attitude as Mr. B. With a servant’s heart Mr. B surrendered his time and energy and was available for service to those around him. He has a special place in the heart of every youth (and once-upon-a-time youth) who ever spent time with him in such places as Sunday School or Scouts. He had a tremendous impact on our lives because he shared the love of Christ with us - and we love him for it!
In recent days, many of us have shared memories and thoughts of Mr. B.:
One says “…when I was born our families were next door neighbors until I was a year old. He told everyone he came across how I used to pee on his lap when he held me...it was a little embarrassing yet strangely endearing...he seemed so proud to tell it and enjoyed telling it. Oddly enough, that is such a fond memory of him.”
Another says “You just couldn't help it. He made you love him.”
And another “{I imagine} Mr. B up there getting his Angel Wings”
And another “I can still see him driving down the bypass in that Shell gas tank truck
waving to everybody!”
And another “I imagined him taking that first full breathe that he hasn't been able to in sooooo long.”
Mr. B. has finished that last long climb up life’s path to the highest chapel for worship. He has left us signposts along the way to remind us of how we should live our lives; those signposts are the memories we have of him; the lessons he taught us and the example of how he shared Christ’s love with us.