50171
by Keith Brake
“Little birdie in the sky,
dropped some whitewash in my eye;
I’m a big boy, I don’t cry,
I’m just glad that cows don’t fly!”
Local writer/photographer and former newspaper editor J.O. Parker knows life can drop a brickbat on people from time to time.
But he reminds us: “Always remember, Good Things are Happening.”
J.O. Had one of those life challenges you can turn into opportunities last week when he came out of his workplace east of Grinnell to find his van on fire.
No one was hurt. Parker was in the building when the fire began and the Grinnell Fire Department quickly got there and put out the blaze.
But the van was hurt – totaled, in fact.
“Life can sometimes throw a curve ball,” Parker wrote on social media.
Parker thanked God no one was hurt. He thanked site management and employees at Bayer Crop Science Seed Production (where he works) and the fire department.
And then . . .and then, I imagine he was like the cowboy in the western movie that gets low-bridged in a chase scene. First, he gets up, dusts himself off, finds his hat, and goes looking for the horse. And then, “now what?”
This news about J.O. brought back some personal memories.
Some years ago, I was working as the editor of a newspaper in Orange City, Iowa, and living by myself in a trailer court.
I drove in to work one morning, and the employees looked at me like they were seeing a ghost.
“You’re all right,” they said. “The fire department just called and said your trailer burned to the ground. We thought. . .”
“Well, here I am,” I retorted. “I just came here, directly.”
I was advised to go back and check. I did. And they were right, most of it was gone. I didn’t lose much, just my other clothes and a few personal items.
It turned out to be some faulty wiring under the trailer and it was a flash fire. Out the door I went, around the corner, and poof!
I was told to drive down to a store in Sioux City, where there would be a voucher for some replacement clothing.
On the 45-mile drive down, I had some lonely thoughts, however. I’m sure J.O. Had a few of those last week, too.
In both cases, good things were indeed happening.
By the time I got back to Orange City, friends at Northwestern College had arranged housing for me.
I’ll never be able to repay that kindness.
See, J.O. Parker is right. Good things are happening. I didn’t die, no one got hurt, and some people I had touched in my professional like reached out to me.
J.O.’s fire probably was still smouldering when Barber Ron Hensel wrote on social media, “J.O. Had liability insursance on his van, but because it was an older vehicle and was totaled, he could use a little help from Poweshiek County residents.”
Hensel continued, “With the many pictures and stories he’s given us, maybe we can give a little something back.”
Money? Well, rich or poor, it’s good to have some.
A vehicle fund for J.O. Has been established at Capra Bank (formerly People’s) at 106 South 2nd St., (P.O. Box 160), Montezuma, 50171. Ron’s Barber Shop started it out with $100 and arranged with the Montezuma American Legion and Auxiliary for the same.
Is giving money not your thing? How about sending Parker a card, maybe thanking him for a story, a photo or some other kindness he has extended your way.
J.O. Parker has yet to find a person who doesn’t have a story. And he knows each person represents a challenge and an opportunity to prove that “Good Things are Happening.”