An Incredible Work Ethic Part I - A Tribute to the Late James Albert Singletary, Sr.

An Incredible Work Ethic Part I – A Tribute to the Late James Albert Singletary, Sr.

On Friday, 25 June 2010, my family and I moved out of a house in which we had lived for nearly a decade.  I recall my then toddler son’s exuberance, on the day that we moved in; when he discovered that the movers had transported his favorite “thinking chair” from Brooklyn, NY to Nashville, TN.  As the years would unfold, he would enjoy a room specifically decorated for him.  In time, the sound of the pattering feet of his sister would reverberate throughout the house as she would charge toward her next object of interest.  My son would receive a personal lesson in sharing as half of his room becomes hers.  The bond that they would forge in childhood as they played outside in the very large yard remains a priceless and enduring memory of that time in our lives.  Our house in Nashville was the place where our beloved son and daughter began their lives.  It was the family’s oasis where we shared unconditional love, discovered our God given talents and began to actualize them.  Recollections of countless breakfast and dinner conversations about current happenings flood my mind as I write.  Oh, how I love story time just before bed!  The children and I, at the pace of ten pages per night, completed the Chronicles of Narnia, Magic School Bus, Magic Tree House and Harry Potter series.  Need I mention Dr. Seuss, anthologies of childhood stories and abridged editions of American literary classics such The Call of the Wild, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Count of Monte Cristo and King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table?  Nevertheless, these memories comprise a treasure trove in my heart of my children’s early years.  The house in Nashville will always be a special place as it was the setting for the foundational years of our family. 

Parenthetically, on the day after we moved, we traveled to the house once last time.  We formed a circle in the empty living room area.  There, with bowed heads in reverence to Almighty God, we prayed for the family that would buy the house.  We asked God to bless this family with the requisite financial resources and approval with a lending institution.  Further, we prayed the house will be a blessing for them as it was for us.  We requested the Spirit of God to fill the house.  We hope the new family will glorify God in all their affairs whether business, relational or social.  We hope love, truth, joy, kindness, peace and integrity undergird the relationships of the family; may each member of the family possess these enduring riches in bountiful supply.  Except for one teenage prank in which our unlocked cars were rifled, we did not experience any danger or crime in the house.  We prayed that the new family would be just as safe.  Moreover, we prayed that their home would be free of any verbal, emotional or physical violence.  Because the house had been such a blessing to us, we greatly desire that it be an even greater blessing to anyone else who lives there.

To that end, our wish for their happiness necessitated that we leave the house clean.  On that Friday, long after the moving trucks had gone, my son and I were left to clean the house.  The preceding three days had been minimal sixteen to eighteen hour days in which we prepared as meticulously as possible for the packers and movers.  This fourth day found us very tired despite the excitement of beginning a well-deserved vacation on the following day.  Nonetheless, the task of leaving the house broom swept, completely dusted and thoroughly mopped lay before us.  As the evening wore on, our physical tiredness reached its peak.  With very limited cleaning supplies, we were very tempted to cut corners.  Did every inch of the kitchen counters need to be wiped?  No one should be using the restrooms except for the new owners.  Could we not negotiate a professional cleaning in the closing arrangements?  My son simply could not work anymore.  Understandably, at twelve years of age, he had already made a yeoman’s contribution to the family’s move.  But, the moral, ethical, financial and practical obligation to leave the house clean remained.