We all need one or two do you listen to yours
Mr George Hadley, an old trucker who drove all over our country after coming back from the 2nd world war. A man who never talked about the injuries and the sacrifices he made as part of the greatest generation. But instead went out of his way whenever he could to help those around him and had the perfect shop/ barn where he could fix about anything as long as you were patient and didn’t mind listening to his opinion of what is wrong with this younger generation.
It was during the late 80’s and I got to meet George because as my mowing Maintenance company was still in its infancy, I had decided to expand my mowing services to include bush hogging and to do this I would be needing to invest in a tractor to pull the bush hog,So as I was driving thru the westside of Evansville very near my parents house. I spotted a small tractor in the front yard of someone I was soon to meet but would never forget. The 8 N Ford. was within my budget and I could tell as soon as I bought it I would be comfortable having many future meetings with this wise and humorous gentleman who would be a wealth of knowledge and was not afraid to tell me what I needed to know, If I was willing to listen. He had recently retired as a over the road truck driver and in semi-retirement, he too had chosen to also do field mowing with a Newer Ford tractor. So he was a true asset for my new endeavor. I found myself over at his house more often than I expected, And our immediate friendship was such a benefit to me in that this being my first tractor and I wasn’t shy about asking questions and asking for help, he was a Godsend.
His wife was so nice and friendly she would often ask me if I wanted to stay for supper or have a snack, which George would always shout. Katie,” If you feed him, he will never leave”. Those words would always make me laugh as we would sit down at the table and I would get to hear the many stories of what it was like to haul freight around the country. Another catchy phrase he would repeat, was about the UPS United Parcel Service drivers. It seemed the older truckers were not impressed with how the UPS drivers handled the road, especially in the snow. So there was always a chuckle among the teamsters, that when they would see a UPS slide off the road there was a CB conversation, that began with UUPPPS (pronounced OOPS) there goes another one I would love to hear the other side of the story of the UPS drivers when they witnessed an 18 wheeler in similar situation.. With George semi-retired and I Just in the early stages of starting my business, we always had two very different speeds. I was 100 miles an hour because in my world time was everything and the faster I could get back to my job site with the needed repairs or parts for my equipment the more money I would make thus the more successful my business would grow. George on the other hand, would try to make me relax and settle down,” take a break. the grass will be there when you get back”. Although it would always initially frustrate me, to adhere to this request, I do admit that when I did later leave his place,I was glad I had taken the time and I thanked him for our needed causal time well spent. But days, weeks or months later, we would play this same rollercoaster ride, and since he was the ride controller I would always agree to his position.
But then came the night where my friend and advisor also became my guardian angel. It was winter time and one of the ways I supplemented our income was by getting into the very lucrative but crazy business of Snow removal. As a lawn care company, one of the greatest detriments was that grass stopped growing in the winter, and how could I keep my good, dedicated, hard working employees busy during the winter time. There was nothing worse than having to layoff these hard working individuals who busted their butts for me all year and now I had to consider letting them go. Yes,and right around Christmas time. For me this was not going to happen and I would do everything I could think of to try to avoid this. , And if it did have to let them go, I would find myself in a very dark place. This was not something I could ever feel good about. So doing snow removal was just one opportunity to eliminate this seasonal dilemma.
I had just picked up a very nice contract with a local Bank that had several locations, and this being one of the first years I now had hope that I was fixing my winter blues. I did later realize and feel to this day that of all the different businesses that I got involved in, the snow business seemed the most erratic. It never failed you would hear it is supposed to snow at 10pm and most clients did not want you until there was nearly 2” inches of snow on the ground, so you would wait throughout the night with no snow in sight and when you finally fell asleep at 3:30 am, without a snowflake in sight.. Sure enough you were awakened by instinct to see 2 inches of snow on the ground by 5am. Yes this was many years ago before our more improved meteorologists but I will attest that no two snows are ever alike, and their time of arrival made every snow a maddening experience.
So starting this new business was definitely a frustrating challenge. However, with the right accounts and proper pricing it could be very good for the businesses bottom line.
So it was the first snow for this new account and making a good impression was paramount. The one condition that the bank requested was that all of the locations be plowed by 7am so the employees and customers had a clear lot. I was committed to making this happen. MY reputation depended on it. So as the snow fell and accumulated I took my tractor with the rear blade and began to clear the white gold as I relished in the fact that this was the beginning of a new adventure. Everything was going as planned, and as midnight approached I had finished two lots and began to start on the third, when suddenly as I was pushing the snow to a pile I accidentally hit one of the concrete parking bumpers and immediately the three point hitch holding the blade broke. With only about !0% of the lot cleared, a realization occurred that put me in a state of panic. You see, just starting out I had not occurred to me that with a one tractor operation, when you tractor goes down, your operation goes down. And at 1 am there are not a lot of mechanic shops open. What in the hell am I going to do? I only had one choice, only one person could help me and I was willing to take a verbal lashing to keep my client happy. As I called George I was a bit surprised that he sounded like he knew it was me. Explaining my plight He told me to bring the tractor over, and he would take a look at it. I quickly put the tractor on my trailer and drove over to his house that luckily was not far away. Desperate , frustrated and feeling once again in a rush to get back to the jobsite, George looked at the damage and in his usual matter of fact way,said. “I know , I know you have to get this done before 7. Here, this will take too long to fix. Just take my tractor and finish the job. Totally surprised and somewhat unsure if I should even attempt this ,George, reassured me this was our only option. You will owe me big time young man , now take this tractor and please slow down, your making my head spin. As I pulled out of his driveway with a renewed sense of hope I hurried back to the lot and now realized I was going to get the job finished before the 7 am deadline.,l was back on cloud nine, “thanks Mr Hadley I thought as the clearing of the lot commenced. I looked at my watch and now noticed that the time was approximately 4:30. With another couple hours I would easily finish and please the customer, life was good.
Not really sure exactly why I wasn’t watching the curb, but suddenly I heard a cracking noise and before I could say, son of a ……. I had now broken the blade of a tractor that was not even. Mine, and so quickly too, and just as bad the lot was not totally clear and the time was…. I am back in hell again.
The emotions I was feeling drove me crazy, and trying to come up with what I was going to try to say to George clouded my mind as I drove back to his house. .How do I explain this to him, and what will be his reaction, have I last a dear friend?. As I pulled into the drive I was surprised to see the light on in his garage, and as I pulled forward I saw him inside working on something. I stopped the truck and with my head slightly down walked into the garage this was going to suck.., but wait,. In amazement I saw him putting the finishing touches on my tractor. And looking up he questions “well what did you break this time”?
As though he had been with me the whole time he acted as though this was something he had prepared for. “ What did you mean, how did you know I broke something?, he began to chuckle softly and said” I could tell the way you took off out of here in such a hurry you were probably going to break something else tonight. What did you break? My Mind raced at the understanding that not only was he not angry at me for breaking his machine but that he had this gift from God to know that he would need to save my butt again. Here he had stayed up in the middle of the night to fix my broken tractor, so I could look good for the bank in a couple hours. “Here, he said, get mine off and take yours and God forbid slow down, you’re running out of favors.
As I now drove back to the same bank again,,I could not believe how lucky I was to.to know this amazing man. Sure enough a couple hours later the sun was up I was finished and as I looked up to the sky I most assuredly felt I was in the presence of a true guardian angel, my Guardian Angel. One that had every right to verbally assault me and condemn me and put me in a place I would not want to be. But instead kept building me up as though he knew he was the only one who could protect me that night, someone who could bring me peace when no one else could.
George Hadley, where are your wings?
But why am I the lucky one? I don’t just have one Angel, there is another. A much different one than George, one who has been around nearly all my life. A guardian who probably doesn’t even realize he was mine. And yet we were related.
My mother will tell me later that Bob was there to help teach me how to walk and was there when I started to talk, helping me along the way. As my first cousin who lived fairly close to me, Bob Scheller was my one year older guardian. This, in my mind, made him the expert on everything. If Bob said to do it, not only was it the right thing to do , It was highly endorsed by my parents. Bob’s dad Also Robert Scheller was seen in the Scheller Family as the smart moral compass of a very large close group of the Leo and Lucina family.. So Since Bob was his son he was usually looked up to as the kind of kid you want your children to be around. So throughout my life I would follow Bob around everywhere. He was my big brother that could do no wrong, and even though I did have a big brother Jim that I thought was superman. Bob was always around to lead me in the right direction. As I started grade school He got me involved in becoming a server for mass, even though he didn’t warn me that sometimes they had 5am masses. Atd yes a boring sermon was hard to stay awake for. Next When I was 11 he suggested I join this boy scout troop because of this awesome scout master named Bert Miller {See “The Miller Effect}, which allowed for him to help me eventually get my /Eagle., speaking Of eagles, it was during this time in our youth we would spend a lot of time on Saturdays with our archery equipment and find area around our houses to shoot arrows at almost anything, it was not uncommon for us to lose or break 10 arrows a day, and at 27 cents a piece that’s a lot of money. We always had a goal to shoot a rabbit. My father and I were big rabbit hunters with a couple of beagles. But that was using shotguns. A real hunter I felt was one that could give the rabbit a fighting chance and try to get it Robin Hood style. Many opportunities were taken to get that pesky rabbit as it would take off like a shot and we would do our best to bring the great beast down. But almost always Buggs would simply laugh as SHE sprinted off with our arrows missing the mark.
But finally there came the day. With the score probably being 0 to 380,we were out by the brickyard{ a large wooded area with a lake and cliffs and large open fields, a young man’s paradise}. As we walked along with arrows notched and waiting to spring a rabbit, I heard Bob yell “There it Goes” as I turned to my left on this gorgeous. Summer day, I could see the furry cottontail streaking across the field coming across my path approximately 50 feet in front of me. As I quickly took aim I released the arrow leading it by about 6 ft and in an instant the arrow and the rabbit both entered a small bush simultaneously. The bush was only about 3 feet in diameter and it was a fairly sparse woody specimen similar to a burning bush}{ euonymus Alatus, for those who care} and then I saw it. The Rabbit immediately emerges from the bush and sure enough the arrow was dangling from the hind quarter not really slowing the rabbit down very much. Bob I hit it I said in almost disbelief, so shocked that it took me a few seconds to realize that if I was going to catch this thing I would have to run it down. Dropping my bow I took off after the arrow ladened potential lunch, as it headed off into a thicker portion of the woods. We looked and looked and looked for over an hour and never did find the arrow or the rabbit. It may have gone down into a hole we surmised.. And although I did not get to claim my prize, I now had another story to tell but more importantly it was now 1 to-380. I had finally been successful and could mark that off my bucket list. Ok, you’re right there was no such thing as a bucket list in 1974. But after that I didn’t feel the need to shoot rabbits with arrows any more. Now Bob did, a few weeks later get another rabbit with his bow, but I let him tell you that story.
So to continue my guardian angel/cousin also introduced me to being a crossing guard, for our Sacred Heart.streets. Getting to hold back your classmates with a long pole with a flag at the end, and getting warm free hot chocolate during the winter was pretty cool.. But once again he did not warn me about one of the initiations as a 6th grade crossing guard that was going to be really tough. The older boys were allowed to test your resolve by making you hold out your arm while they took the straps on their whistles and proceeded to whip you until the whelps started to form. I just assumed you were supposed to take it like a man as the older boys would laugh. Just be tough Schroeder, this will make you a better guard. Well if they said it. it must be true. Bring on the whipping boys.”. True story, a couple years later as we carried on this tradition as eighth graders, one of our younger guards told on us to our principal and all but one of us were kicked off the guard patrol, even our patrol leader. When asked by our Principal sister Rosemary Eiller, why would we do such hurtful things. We all just looked at each other and retorted. Sister it’s tradition it’s been going on ever since Sacred Heart had patrol boys. She was not amused. So once again we took the walk of shame back to our classrooms right after we handed in our white belt sash and helmet… Man I hope this never ends up on my presidential resume.
Flag football, golf, l trips to the mountains of Colorado, scuba diving,, you name it. if Bob said do it. I did it. And throughout my life I could do no wrong, And My parents knew I was in good hands. As years flew by I found myself entering ISUE, Indiana State University of Evansville , later to become USI. After gaining it;s independence It became simply University of Southern Indiana.
I was not exactly sure what I wanted to be when I grew up, However spending my first summer after graduating from High School and working as a hod carrier{ concrete mixer and block and brick carrier} for a local mason, I realized I was not ready for real life so college just made sense. Going from a small Catholic highschool to a university where I knew very few people I became a little disenfranchised and found myself questioning if I had made the right choice. But that all quickly changed when once again my Guardian angel stepped in with exactly what I needed. John, Go tell you mom and dad you need to join a fraternity. Yes you will love it and I know just the group, “ Mom . Hey, I’m Joining a fraternity and Bob is endorsing it”. “ Great Idea honey Mom said not really sure what being in a Fraternity entails. Little did she realize that this new adventure would change my life forever and that my new social direction was probably a little wilder than she could predict. But Bob said it would be ok. .looking back, I think the concern on my dad’s face was justified and to this day I believe my older brother Jim still feels ths was the move that he would always question. But 5 spring breaks in Ft Lauderdale later, and meeting some of the best brothers who always had your back definitely gave me the confidence. to start my own business and move into the next Chapter of my life.But that another story for another day.
But not for My Guardian. Interestingly, Some 35 years later, 2 days after selling my business and not really ready to retire, I found myself riding my bike with Bob.
“So what are you going to do with the rest of your life? ” he asks on the very comfortable fall day. “ I don’t know, but I’m sure God has a plan”,” Well interestingly we actually have a position open At Deaconess Hospital in the Maintenance and Engineering department in the grounds facility. You’ll be outside doing landscaping, He chuckled , I’m pretty sure you’re qualified. A few days later I was in an interview with my future bosses and 5 days later I was in a room during orientation listening to a lady named Linda White talking about Caring and Compassion, {see Five years at Midtown] He had done it again.
George Hadley and Bob Scheller. Two very different people who in small ways and very large ways directed my life whereby they took me down paths that would introduce me to a wonderful world of people, places and opportunities. If you asked them. “ What type of influence did you have on John, they probably would not think that much. The correct answer is. They both were there for me in huge ways, at the exact moments when I did not know what to do next. They were my physical Guardian Angels that we all need and experience throughout our lives that change us for the better. Whether it is just a few hours on a cold winter night, or a lifetime of guidance for someone you just want to help lead the way. These two gentlemen were there for me.
So ask yourself today, Not, who is my Guardian Angel, but much more importantly. Who can I be a living angel to.Who can I help in many different ways? Whether it is for a couple hours or maybe even a lifetime. Where is God putting me and for whom? What opportunity do I have each and every day to brighten up the face of a stranger or have someone’s back in their time of need? We are always looking for our next hand up. But let us all realize it may be our turn to leave a lasting impression on someone else and the real joy is realizing that we may never know how much we influenced and helped someone become a better and richer person. The gifts God has given you, pass them on and change lives for the better..
John M Schroeder
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