Captain Jack Tate was a fighter pilot in world war II who shot down 13 German fighters. On March 23rd 1945 he and his wing man Captain Ted "Butternut" Thornton were patrolling the sky's west of Berlin when they encountered 4 German Me262's streaking across the horizon. They gave pursuit and engaged them in a dog fight. As they had the element of surprise they quickly shot down two before things got tough.Taken out of play due to a stuck throttle control captain Thornton could only watch as the Me262's got on Capt. Tates tail and began blasting away. Try as he might Capt. Tate couldn't shake them and in the end his P-51 exploded in a ball of fire as it crashed into the earth. Capt. Thornton say's he'll never forget Capt. Tates final words: " Oh god oh god she's gonna blow. Chunk it now! Chunk it now!"
Did you have hobbies as a kid? You know, like stamp collecting, wood burning,beads? I like to build models. Like airplanes, ships, cars and the like. WWII airplanes were my favorite. There was something majestic and sleek about them. And lots of fire power. And bombs. I went to the mall as a kid and they had this display, kind of a show of peoples crafts and hobbies. Glass blowing and wooden knick-knacks, flower arrangements and so on.A group of folks had a display of models they had built. I can't make words come out of my mouth that could explain how real those airplanes looked. Just awesome! They ruined me.
My dad was a typewriter repairman, one of the best. He had so many tools he used to fix those machines. I was always envious of those things. I love tools. I sometimes wonder if I went into business for myself so I would have a reason to buy tools. My dad set me up with a set of tools to build models with. Small files, clamps, pliers, tweezers and so on. I was so enamored with them. They ruined me.
It was so exciting to get a new model. I would look at the box for a long time then open it up and look at all the parts in the box and imagine them going together just so. In my minds eye I'd see this airplane hanging from a thread over my bed. Sweet! I begin to assemble the model with care, paying close attention to each small detail, getting it just right. Back in the day we didn't have superglue so I had to wait overnight for the glue to dry. Which is not good when you're 12 and have no patience. So I would begin to mess with it before the glue was dry and some of the parts would move. Then they wouldn't quite fit right. I'd not pay attention and glue the right part in the wrong place. I'd get in a hurry and not follow the directions, just doing what seemed right. So, what I ended up with is a plane that looked like it was put together by, well, a 12 year old.
There is no Capt. Jack Tate. And not because he died in a plane crash. When I made a model airplane that didn't turn out so well I would have to find a way to get rid of it and what better way than to blow it up with a fire cracker. So I'd put a fire cracker in it and my friends and I would make up a story, fly it around, light it and "oh god, oh god, she's gonna blow. Chunk it now! KA-BLAM!!!!
I think here was my problem. I saw at the mall the possibility of what my plane could look like. And my dad gave me the tools to work with. And I had the instructions. And I knew how to do it. Sort of.I'm a great starter and a great ender but it's the middle parts I have trouble with. When things don't go as well as I'd like them to I start to hurry thru, not paying attention to the details the make all the difference. I get discouraged and become shoddy. I do enough to make it "look like an airplane" but I'm not happy with it. And I just want to quit, blow it up and start over.
My life is like that sometimes. Start something good but end up blowing it up. Marriage, fatherhood, jobs and so on.... . It's that mushy middle part I have a hard time with. And that part is so important and it's the part I can't, you can't, ever give up on. It's hard sometimes and it seems like forever until the "glue dries" and you can move on to the next thing. Because there's a right way. I've got to follow the instructions, use the tools, and make a amazing airplane. And maybe someday I'll get to stop a brother or sister from lighting that fuse on their model and show them a better way...
I will fight through. Will you?
What a great story! These just get better and better!
ReplyDeleteI think we all have found that the second act is not a lot better than the first. But in spite of our poor craftsmanship, God still sticks our sloppy artwork on his refrigerator door to admire it.