The Mentor

Back when I was in college, I worked for a bank.
I was a bank teller.
I also settled the ATM machines after hours with a small group of people.
It was the perfect job to have while I was in school.

I continued to work for a short time after we were first married.
I thought it would be very easy to find a job in the area where we would be moving.
The bank I worked for had a “sister” bank that had branches near our apartment.
The year we got married, the economy was not very strong and they were not hiring.

Newly married with a new apartment and I did not work.
I spent the first ten months of our marriage looking for a job.
When we knew we would be buying a house, I stopped looking.
Once we were moved in and settled, I applied at a local bank and got the job.

I was a bank teller once again but soon they discovered other talents they could use.
They discovered I could write, so I wrote all of their brochures and press releases.
They discovered that I was creative so I began to design their ads.
Soon, I was coming up with ads for their billboards around town as well.

I had this tiny little office near the vault downstairs.
It was perfect.
I was not behind the teller window but I was still meeting people in the community.
I enjoyed the people with whom I worked.

The maintenance man in the building was a favorite of mine.
He was retired and lived with his wife in the house they bought when they were married.
They had one daughter and he had one grandchild.
Andy was a joy to be around; he was caring, hard working, and faithful.

He had an assistant that followed him everywhere.
This young man had special needs and he could have had no better mentor than Andy.
He learned how to do many jobs under Andy’s tutelage.
There was such pride in a job done well, both for the young man and for Andy.

Andy became like a father to him; he was really like a father to many of us.
He was well respected yet never minced words if he had something to say to you.
It was the way Andy said and did things that stood out to me.
Andy was a whistler; I could hear Andy coming down the hall long before I saw him.

There was a lunchroom downstairs where we would eat and have tea or coffee.
There were always saltine crackers with jars of peanut butter and other snack items there.
Plastic spoons and knives were close by along with napkins in a metal holder.
One day, as a few of us were talking, Andy and the young man joined us.

People were laughing and sharing stories about their day.
The young man saw the crackers on the counter.
He took a plastic knife and spread some peanut butter on one of the squares.
He then took that same knife, dipped it in the jar, and licked the peanut butter.

I watched him as he took the knife and dipped it back in the jar for some more.
Everyone was so busy with their conversations, no one seemed to notice.
But Andy did.
In one swift movement, Andy removed the jar of peanut butter and threw it away.

He went into the cabinet and took out another jar.
He opened it and quietly placed it next to the saltine crackers.
There was not a hint of condemnation.
There was not an ounce of frustration or annoyance.

Andy called to the young man and suggested that they empty the trashcan.
The young man clumsily took out the old bag and attempted to put a new one in its place.
The plastic trash bag was difficult to open and he finally got the bag into the trashcan.
Good job! Andy said proudly while the young man grinned ear to ear.

The two of them left the kitchen.
I saw Andy talking to the young man all the way down the hallway.
I am sure that Andy explained that what he just witnessed could not be done.
I am sure he explained why you couldn’t put a knife in a jar after you had it in your mouth.

Such grace.
Such mentoring.
Andy saved the young man from embarrassment.
Andy taught the young man volumes by his gentleness and respect.

Andy and the young man were a team.
People respected the young man and treated him kindly because Andy did.
The young man was Andy’s right-hand-man and everyone knew it.
I often wondered what became of the two of them.

After a year and a half at the bank, I was ready to deliver our first child.
I have been home taking care of my family ever since.
I often thought of Andy when I was frustrated with little hands doing big tasks.
I have often thought of Andy’s grace and the way he led by example.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)

Sharpening was what was happening in that bank building each day.
Without even knowing it, Andy mentored those who watched him closely.
He didn’t mean to; he simply exuded love and respect towards everyone.
I think of Andy whenever I open a jar of peanut butter and whenever I hear whistling.

I am the better person for knowing him.