A few weeks ago, I wrote about my Dad’s retirement ceremony at the Post Office. That was attended only by co-workers and family. A couple of days ago, we surprised Dad with a party to celebrate his retirement.
Close to a hundred people came to congratulate him and share in the fun. About half of the folks were from our church. Dad and Mom are part of the Pastoral Team there and are key leaders.
The other forty or fifty attendees were people that Dad had delivered mail to for many years. He had had the same mail route for close to twenty five years. He went above and beyond what the Post Office required. Listen to some of the comments that his customers shared:
“He prayed for me when my husband died.”
“He prayed for me when I was sick.”
“He always took the time to talk to my developmentally challenged brother.”
“He would bring the mail to the door because he knew I couldn’t walk to the mailbox.”
“We cried together as the Towers came crashing down on September 11, 2001.”
“He found me when I fell down and broke my leg. He prayed with me and stayed with me until the ambulance got there.”
“He always took the time to chat if he saw you outside, but he was still faster at delivering the mail than the new guy.”
We all can learn from Dad’s example of public service. We all should seek to go beyond what is required of us, no matter what our job is. And if you will look closely, you might see the thread that is running through those comments. He cared. He is a pastor at heart. He just understands that his “flock” were the people he served everyday.
