Michelle’s uncle, Gordon Spinler, died last week. This was a shock to everyone in the family, but the Lord decided it was time to call him home.
Gordy was 72 and never really retired. In fact, he passed away while at work restoring old tractors. He loved working on engines and machinery, so it was never really work to him. If you die while doing something you love, that’s probably a bonus.
As often happens when a loved one dies, my mind has wandered, searching for answers and insight.
Being in your 70s isn’t really considered “old” anymore, is it? When I was young, the idea of reaching that decade seemed like I might need a care center by that point. But as I inch closer to my 50s, I realize that 70 is a little over 20 years away. Gulp.
My parents are both in their 70s. Many of my aunts and uncles are there or close, the same on Michelle’s side. I don’t really think of my parents as old. Mom still works part-time, along with dressing up as one of the Narren, German creations that are often seen at New Ulm festivities. Dad volunteers for different organizations and coached softball until he reached 70.
If you have to wait to retire until 65, an age in your 70s had better not seem old. Isn’t the idea of retirement that you want to enjoy MANY years of doing what you want? When I read stories about possibly increasing the retirement age, I grow red with ire. Nobody is guaranteed anything in life, and forcing people to work later than that seems wrong in every way.
Unless you want to. Gordy Spinler clearly didn’t mind. It’s all about the Lord’s plans for us. He will call us to the afterlife when it is time, but He also calls us to other things in life, realities that lead us in the right direction. In Gordy’s case, the calling was in helping others with the same passion for tractors that he had. It was in helping out those who needed help with engines. It was in bringing his voice in song at church and in spending as much time as possible with his grandchildren.
Have you been called? We hear that phrase with some occupations. Certainly, there is a calling to be a religious person, especially a priest or minister or nun. But I think that calling can be to any job. Somehow, you were shown a path to a job that helps to identify you.
I believe I was called to be a teacher. Through a series of different teachers I had, I knew this is what I
should do. In fact, one of those influential teachers, Mrs. Boesch, just passed away last week too, at the age of 82. Through the guidance of other teachers, I learned ways to be a better teacher.
Little happenstances keep leading me in new directions all the time. My job as an announcer has morphed into play-by-play on the livestream. Would that have happened if not for the pandemic and limiting the number of people in the gym? Perhaps, but maybe not. Even out of the bad, we can be called to something good.
Michelle is so creative, and her calling led her to graphic design and making signs. Any time I drive by Sequoia Landscaping, I think of the great design she put together for them. Every time I see the State Champions signs outside of Ellendale, I get to admire her work. Walk into the library in either school building, and there’s Michelle’s handiwork. I’m so proud of the work she does and know the Lord led her to it.
And now my children are figuring out their callings. Anton wants to follow in his mother’s footsteps in graphic design. Maybe. That’s the plan, but one never knows when things will change. But his creativity and artistic skill show that he’s on the right path. Jayna is already about halfway to her dream of being a band director. It hasn’t always been easy, but she keeps following the path that she believes is her calling.
I think about retirement at times. I hope to do that by 62. But I can’t believe that I would just disappear from the school. I enjoy the essence of my job and working with kids. It has been my calling for 27 years, and I don’t think I could leave cold turkey. Will I be like Gordy and still helping out with kids at 72? I have no idea. If that’s what I’m called to do, then I will.
I do know that Gordy has shown me that life is short, no matter when the Lord calls you. The world’s oldest person just died at 118 years old. She probably still had things she wanted to do and people she wanted to visit with. Let’s all live life as we are called and find meaning and enjoyment in as many moments as possible.
Word of the Week: This week’s word is qualm, which means a sudden uneasiness, as in, “I felt a qualm when I saw a text flash on my screen from Michelle that started with ‘I guess Gordy...’ .” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!