Good morning! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with joy, laughter and a grateful heart.
This past Saturday I had the opportunity to partake in the time honored Willis tradition of teaching the next generation of Willis male how to perform vehicle maintenance. This weekend’s project was the removal and replacement of the alternator on my son’s small, late model Japanese import.
I would point to the different bolts and nuts. We would find the correct size socket and wrench for the particular bolt being tackled. Within a matter of hours we had removed and reinstalled his vehicle’s alternator. Sadly, his alternator was not the problem, so we chalked this one up to experience.
For me this exercise in father and son bonding brought back many memories. The year was 1985 and my dad had me out in the driveway with a book called “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Honda repair.” My dad helped me identify the bolts, the necessary tools and the proper order of removal. Those lessons of basic automotive repair have stayed with me through today, and they were the basis of my instruction this past weekend. Of course, my dad was involved too (he drew a diagram and had a step by step list for my son).
There is something to be said for wisdom that is passed down from generation to generation. Look at the following quote from the book of Job:
Job
But those who came before us will teach you. They will teach you from the wisdom of former generations.
Auto repair was only one of many things that were taught to me by my parents. Matters of faith, integrity, interpersonal relations, parenting and perseverance were taught daily by my parents. Many of these lessons they had learned from their parents and grandparents before them.
The joy for me is the knowledge that someday the roles will change. It will be my son or daughter looking over the shoulder of their child as they teach a skill or model a behavior. We sometimes forget just how much our influence will affect generations to come. Our great grandchildren may know very little about us, but they will know our values our skills and our talents that we have passed down.
So grab your wrenches. Get a little oil under your fingernails. You are doing more than repairing a vehicle…you are molding a new generation.
Until next Monday, may God’s richest blessing be yours this week.
Carl
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