Boyhood Dreams*

I recall only two overarching boyhood dreams. The first (probably more fantasy than dream) was to be a professional baseball player-especially one in the image of New York Giant Mel Ott. Didn’t we even share the same given name? During the baseball season I would hurry home from school, dig into the sports page of the newspaper and look at the stats for Mel Ott. Someday only the last name would be changed. That dream, of course, died young.

My second dream was to be Lutheran parochial school teacher-just like my dad. That was a wonderful calling. Dad was one of the most respected persons in our entire rural community. He was a TEACHER. People asked for his opinion. He wore a white shirt, tie, coat and freshly polished black shoes to school-every day. When boys who had graduated from Zion Lutheran school went off to serve in World War II the one person they made sure to write letters to was my father. Since he was also the church’s organist and choir director he played a major role at every wedding, funeral, baptism, anniversary. He even directed the brass band on a special bandstand at the annual school picnic. Lutheran schoolteacher, that was my dream. I never even considered any other option.

Thus I was shocked once (and only once) when my mother startled me (I must have been about 6 years old) when she looked at me with loving eyes and asked, “Melvin, are you sure you want to a Lutheran school teacher? Surely there must be some better option!”I now know that she asked this question out of a specific reality. It was during the depression and the congregation had been unable to pay dad his salary. We have even become dependent upon her more affluent brothers and sisters for clothes and extra food. Also there had been some conflict ion the congregation and some unkind things had been said about my dad. Mother spoke tome out of genuine mother’s love. I explained to Mother that I had only one dream and was hanging on to that. She never again suggested an alternative and loved and supported me throughout my career and even told me she was proud to be my mother.

As I now look back to that dream of some eight decades ago I affirm that it was a good dream- and the realty of my career far exceeded my wildest dreams.

*NOTE: This is one in a series of six blog entries related to a presentation I will make at the 2010 Lutheran Education Association National Administrators Conference in New Orleans in February 2010.

Following that my blog will again be more in the All Things Considered category.