Memories that Influence

    Last week, just down the hall from my office, some parishioners painted one of the bathrooms.  For most folks, that’s not a big deal.  People paint all the time.  But from the moment the cans of oil-based paint were cracked open, I found myself filled with a deep sense of joy and peace, and I was flooded with memories.

    Franklin Lee Derrick, was my grandfather.  “Bada,” as we called him, was an interior decorator in Washington, DC.  He was born in 1906, and by the time he was in his mid-teens, his father had had a heart attack, and he took over the family business.  He became the bread winner for the family, which also meant that he made way for his older brother to attend college.

    Bada was a great businessman, who lived in a day where the men wore uniforms, they were cordial and well-groomed, hard workers.  He never advertised his business, only listing “Derrick & Sons” in the Yellow Pages.  He used to say, “If word of mouth isn’t good enough, then I shouldn’t be in business.”  But word of mouth did bring in the business, and more than one Senator’s home received new wall paper or paint from his hand or the hands of one of his workers.  He was well-respected and was blessed for his work ethic.
    Bada was more than a businessman, however.  He was also a family man and a man of faith.  In the late 1940's he purchased land on the West River of the Chesapeake Bay which became the family vacation spot.  Complete with boats and unlimited gasoline, a pool, land upon which we played games, and a big house in which his children,13 grandchildren, and many family and friends were blessed.
    I remember vividly, standing beside him in church while he belted out the hymns of the faith.  He didn’t have the greatest of voices, but he sang with the gusto and joy of one who did!  Such faith sung, was a faith lived in his day to day life, and because of his example, I was taught what it meant to follow Christ and to become a man.
    But when it was not Sunday morning or he was not playing cards or having fun with his family, Bada was

working.  He was always repairing this or that, building some furniture out of wood, or painting what needed to be painted.  As such, he was constantly in his shop, and consequently, we were often in his shop, either being with him as he worked or getting supplies for him so he could work.
    The shop was filled with paint, turpentine, and various stains, all of which emitted a unique and powerful smell.  If one were to deliberately sniff the stuff, they might be in trouble, but what wafted from those confines was a smell, which at least for me, was the smell of my grandfather.  Since he worked with it often, the smell stuck to his skin and clothes, and where he went, he carried his vocation and passion with him.
    Last week when the smells of paint wafted through the office, most of my staff were opening windows and complaining of headaches, but I simply told them, “point the fans my way, because that smell reminds me of one of the great influences of my life.”

    In the Old Testament, the People of Israel were required to bring offering to the temple as sacrifices

of atonement for sins.  The animals sacrificed were not just killed and left for dead, but they were burned.  The understanding was that the fragrances of the smoke and burning was received by God as a sign of their love for God.  It was a way of God being reminded of the One that loved God and whom God loved.  It was also a way in which the people remembered and gave thanks for the blessings God had bestowed upon them.

    Bada made many sacrifices for many people, and wrapped into the fragrance of paint and varnish was the fragrance of God revealed through his care and example for us.  When I smell such things, the memories arise within, and with it come prayers of gratitude for the influence and blessing my grandfather was and is.  It’s a gift he gave. 
    What I find myself asking is, “Do others experience God's fragrance through me?”

Who are the great disciples, mentors, and heros of your life?  How are you embodying God’s example through them?