Tuesday, September 11, 2007

A MAN NAMED ROBERT

“...I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head...” (from Luke 7:44)

This entry may seem strange for a September 11 entry.  I believe last year I wrote a piece about where I was and what I was doing on September 11, 2001.  Although my last entry was about the day BEFORE September 11, today I just couldn’t bring myself to write specifically about September 11. RATHER, I think of the aftermath of September 11, 2001.  For about three weeks, the country was different.  People seemed warm, and friendly, and patient and caring, and as a country we SEEMED united.  I really thought things had changed forever. Boy, was I ever WRONG?!  Somewhere around three weeks later, everything went back to “normal”, and it has been that way ever since.  I wish we’d REALLY changed on September 11, but we had not.

Today, I want to write about a man named Robert.  No, it’s not me.  I won’t use the guy’s whole name, but there’s a guy named Robert who lives in a small apartment in downtown Framingham.  Every time Robert sees me, he greets me in a warm and friendly manner.  He always enthusiastically calls me “Reverend”. (I usually just go by “Pastor Bob” or “Bob”.)  He’s exceptionally pleasant and friendly.  Everybody who is ANYBODY in Framingham knows Robert.  Believe me, all the big shots and “powers that be” know who he is.  Robert is very intelligent.  He was educated as an architect, and he knows his craft.  I believe he worked for a time as an architect, but I don’t know much about that.  I’d say Robert is almost ten years older than I am.  He writes a lot of letters to the MetroWest Daily News and attends a lot of functions and public meetings in Town.  Robert doesn’t work because he’s on some sort of disability.  I don’t know what it is.  A number of years ago, someone told me he has real trouble coping with the pressures of life, and that’s why he’s on disability.  Robert is a dreamer.  He loves art and culture.  He envisions Framingham being a great cultural center and a great social destination.  An amazing optimist, any time something good happens in downtown Framingham, Robert sees it as a sign of great things being ahead for our community.  Around twelve years ago, he wrote letters to the newspaper proposing that a state-of-the-art athletic facility be built in the heart of downtown Framingham for use by the “ghetto kids:”.  In a public meeting I watched Robert be talked down to and ridiculed for that classification.  It wasn’t politically correct.  Robert envisioned corporations and individuals giving huge sums of money to make this youth athletic facility possible, as well as the Town being 100% behind it.  The plan was laughed off.  About a year later, Robert wrote an enthusiastic letter to the MetroWest Daily News.  The letter expressed his dream and desire that the Roman Catholic Church would build a world class “Basilica” in downtown Framingham.  (As I understand it, a Basilica is a very fancy Catholic Church, not quite a Cathedral, but bigger and fancier than the average church.)  This suggestion got a lot more laughs around Town than did the proposal for the youth athletic facility.

About a year ago, Robert’s paintings were put on display at the Framingham Public Library.  I was amazed that he was an artist and that he’d done so many paintings. Honestly, my daughter Rachel is a better artist, but I can’t draw at all, so I was impressed.  Most of the paintings were either religious or scenic.  Last month I drove by Butterworth Field and was surprised to see Robert playing a game of catch with a group of guys at least half his age. Usually a nerdy, eccentric artistic guy isn’t athletic, but Robert wasn’t a bad baseball player.  I’m not athletic at all, so again I was impressed.

Why am I writing this?  Yesterday, in downtown Framingham, Robert enthusiastically greeted me and asked me how my church was doing.  You know, I try to be very active in the Framingham community.  I’m naturally very shy one-on-one, but I make it a point to meet and greet people and cultivate relationships with them.  I speak out about various matters.  Like Robert, I write letters and columns to the paper.  I also write on this blog.  Admittedly, some of what I post here is just “fluff:” but probably one out of every five or six pieces is a very thoughtful, well-written piece.  I e-mail important people when I feel I have something important to say.  I also try to be just as interested in people who are “nobodys”.  

Maybe I’m too sensitive, but I’m frequently surprised that often people don’t write answers to my e-mails.  People also don’t readily act on my suggestions or opinions.  Honestly, outside of my church, many people act as if I don’t matter at all. (Thankfully, WITHIN my church most of the people treat me pretty well.  In the past that was not the case, but most of the ones who did not treat me well are now gone.)

Yesterday, it really touched me that Robert stopped to talk to me. Yes, he’s done that many times before, but for some reason, it really meant a lot this week!  Maybe it IS because of 9/11.  We’re supposed to care for one another.  We’re supposed to be interested in one another.  We’re supposed to have time for one another.  We’re supposed to value the gifts and talents of others.  Dare I say it?  We’re supposed to LOVE one another.  At least, Jesus told us that. 

It’s character I’m talking about.  That’s a big part of why I absolutely love Senator John McCain.  Despite the fact that John McCain is on the wrong side of the illegal immigration issue, I LOVE his loyalty, tenacity, and consistency.  That’s a big part of why I will vote for him in the Massachusetts Republican Primary even though people say he hasn’t got a chance.  When Don Imus “fell” a few months ago, most of the frequent guests on his program couldn’t have plunged the knife into Don Imus’ heart fast enough.  One person who did NOT do that was John McCain!  When asked about Imus, McCain (while of course disagreeing with what Imus said about the Rutgers girls’ basketball team) indicated Imus was his friend and that he’d be happy to go on the air with him again.  THAT’S how a loyal man of CHARACTER behaves!

Back to Robert.  Yup, he’s eccentric, but so am I.  Yup, his ideas are impractical and many would even be classified as unworkable.  But next time he comes up with a crazy idea, well, I may not endorse it or embrace it, but I’m sure not going to laugh at it and I’m sure not going to laugh at him.  Why?  As odd as this may sound, because he took the time to speak to me with genuine interest and show he really cared. 

Practical, politically correct, sophisticated, worldly-wise and self-absorbed people are a dime a dozen in our society.  We need more Roberts.  And, today, I’m proud of the fact that Robert and I share the same first name...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

i don't know this robert...

nice plug for john mccain... wonder if that robert guy likes him as much as you do