Love and Charity

We left Lozanne’s family home on April 15th. We departed after an early afternoon in the sun on the patio. It was more like a summer day than the spring day it actually was. It was a glorious warm sunny day. Lozanne and I were returning to teacher’s college with our new addition to the family, our infant daughter Tami who was a little over five weeks old. The year was 1969 and our mode of transportation was our 1962 Volkswagen. Of all the cars, luxury and otherwise, that I have owned since then, that little blue beetle is my favourite. I still dream about that car from time to time. I even wonder if it is still “alive” out there somewhere and available for sale. I also wonder if I could still fill the gas tank with leaded regular gas for $3.50.

We departed on what seemed to be a summer day. With each mile we travelled (the metric system had not yet been implemented) it became cloudier and cooler. Within three hours it began to snow lightly. Within three and on half hours it was snowing heavily. Volkswagens in that day had air cooled engines with basically no heater. The only defrosting or heating was from a slow moving current of warm air from the engine. There wasn’t even a fan in the system. The car became very cold. The windshield fogged. The snow became relentless. Night was falling. Without a baby in the car we could have persevered. It became evident; however, that we had to get off the road to a safe haven. The motel sign loomed out of the blowing snow. We pulled, with some trepidation, into the lot of the James Lake Motel.

In those days, younger reader, there were no debit cards and indeed no credit cards. The cash in your wallet was how much money you had to spend. Cheques were seldom welcomed by business owners, especially motel owners. I entered the motel office and asked with some anxiety the price of a motel room for the night. The middle aged male owner looked out into the snow filled gloom at our very humble car and Lozanne fussing over the baby, looked me in the eye and said, “How much have you got?” I honestly answered ten dollars. I had one ten dollar bill in my wallet…ample cash for a student family to travel home in good weather. “What a coincidence”, he said with a straight face, “the rate tonight is ten dollars”. I was overcome with gratitude at his obvious kindness. He then asked, “Do you need help in heating bottles for the baby”? I acknowledged that indeed one bottle would be required within minutes and another in about four hours. He then assured me that he and his wife would keep the office open until Tami had been put down with her last feeding of a bottle with pablum which occurred on that night at 10:30 P.M. A morning bottle was also heated in the office which was opened very early the next morning. I know, younger reader, that you are now wondering why a bottle was required at all. Believe it or not, breast feeding was vigorously discouraged by the medical profession for at least two generations ending thankfully with the generation of our grandchildren.

The generosity and kindness of that couple so long ago has remained a vivid positive memory to both of us. I have no idea if they acted because of deeply instilled Christian principles, but I like to believe now that they did. I am aware that there are just some very nice people in this world. I hope, however, that most of them are Christians. Paul sets out the requirements in 1Corinthians 13: 1-3. Most know 1Corinthians as the “love” chapter. It makes much more sense to me in the King James Version where love is described as charity.

1 ¶ Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Forty years ago (please forgive me Tamara) a middle aged couple modelled in the middle of a snow storm the behaviour that all Christians should emulate. They acted out of love. I often think of their example. Are we doing it all with love as we should or are we just going through the motions?

Can you hear, like me from time to time, the sounding brass and the tinkling cymbal?

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