Not so long ago I wore a watch...I have several. I like them but my cell phone sort of took the place of my watches. Seems I never wear one these days. M's stopped running and out of habit he continued to wear it anyway; but now he's weaned himself from it. Seems sort of sad.
However...we're tied to a couple
of clocks because they have sentimental value and ties. Incidentally, they don't run on batteries...if we don't wind...they don't run. Some things take a bit of extra time...just a tad...they're worth it.
The closest to our hearts is one
that has been in M's family 111 years. It came from Michael's paternal grandfather, Henry Polkenhorn Beall. Don't ask where the Polkenhorn came from
'cause we don't have a clue! We were certainly never tempted to give that
name to any of our sons. He was really a fascinating man, feisty as could be and
quite the entrepreneur in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition (dubbed the St. Louis World's Fair)took place in St. Louis in 1904. Henry decided he and his wife (Pearl) should make the trip from Oklahoma and have a look. The Fair was really something extraordinary! Of course, some things don't change so naturally there were many things to spend your money on...gifts to buy! Henry spied this beautiful little Seth Thomas clock and bought it for Pearl.
Later on the clock ended up with M's mother. One day as she and I were talking she said she was going to get rid of the clock...she really never liked it. WHAT??? I couldn't believe she was going to dump it...she said "Well, you wouldn't want it either." Wrong, wrong!
The clock wasn't running but we
were and took it with us around the world; precious clock. While living
on post at Ft. Sill we had an open house and a guest took us aside to ask
about the clock. It seemed he collected clocks and enjoyed working on
them so he asked if he could take our clock and tinker with it. We knew
him from church so we knew he was 'reliable'. You know how church people
are, right?
We ran into him later that
evening and he surprised us with "I have your clock running'. A couple of weeks later he said we could pick it up...he had polished the wood, cleaned all the parts
(they were all original) and he wouldn't let us pay him anything. He so enjoyed working with that clock; he gave us a lecture filled with advice, "You
better not ever sell that little clock"...we haven't, we
won't and it's still running, keeps perfect time. And it sounds nice when
it chimes. We’re happy it lives with us.
The other clock is not nearly so old or sentimental...it just has some good memories in it. Michael always admired ship's clocks...guess that was because he was a water transportation specialist in the military and was always around water and ships! He finally bought us one when he was in Germany...keeps perfect time and if I would use Brasso on it? It would shine but it's sort of old, crusty and comfortable...like the two of us.
One is in the living room, one is
in the kitchen. You know how we spend our mornings, right? Of
course, in our back tri-purpose room...drinking coffee, having breakfast with M
reading to me for a couple of hours! Ah, God is so good.
The last several mornings I've
noticed both clocks striking/ringing at exactly the same time...they're in sync.
And you know what? That was/is the most pleasant sound; a comfortable
feeling.
The Seth Thomas chimes/strikes
on the hour, one strike on the half-hour; the ship's clock rings bells. When
those clocks are in sync both of us
notice; it’s a good moment and brings smiles!
So, what is all this stuff with the
clocks?
Well, it caused me to think about
how pleasant it is to be in sync...and not just with those two clocks but with
people.
Teddy Roosevelt said, "The
most important ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along
with people."
My point is…when things are in
sync, it seems so much better.
Honestly? For me…for Michael…together
is our favorite place to be.
From my heart...to yours,
Vasca
Sounds like you and M are definitely in sync!
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