Editors Note: This months article comes from the “Best of Collection” and was originally published in December of 2008. I hope you enjoy this true story about union folks during the holidays.
Another year is about to come to a close with the holiday’s dead ahead and the dawning of a new year not far behind. This year, in many ways, has been special and deserves a recap. Perhaps we can do that in January when we can look back with a greater degree of clarity on this tumultuous 12 months. I truly believe what we all need right now is a great Christmas Story about union people, one with a happy ending, for the holidays so let me tell you about my uncle Ed.
My uncle Ed was the kind of guy who let you stay up late on Saturday night to watch Hockey Night in Canada on his black and white TV with rabbit ears. Sure, the screen was a little fuzzy and the sound was only marginal but that was great television for an 8 year old in 1960 and up past 9:00 p.m. to boot. I came to be on Uncle Ed’s sofa because I was staying over at my cousin Ray’s house for the weekend, which I did quite often, and this is what uncle Ed did, every Saturday night. Players like Sawchuck and Howe would circle the black and white, I would sip Pepsi, and Uncle Ed would talk to the players loudly through the TV set. It was great. By the way, Ray was a girl.
Uncle Ed was a union pipefitter by trade, a hard working guy who installed the gas tanks and piping for many local gas stations. In fact, if you have ever gassed up anywhere in the Union Lake, Commerce or West Bloomfield area you have probably received your gas through pipes that my uncle Ed put in the ground. Like most union men of the time, Uncle Ed believed in his country and bought U.S. Savings bonds along the way to save for a rainy day.
Now back to the Christmas story. Years later, Ray grew up and married Kim, a guy, go figure. They were just young kids trying to make their way in the world. Kim worked as a cabinetmaker and Ray became a social worker dedicated to helping the troubled youth in the area. Soon they had twins that were the joys of their lives. The twins, one boy and one girl, kept Ray and Kim hopping as you might imagine. Things went on well for a number of years with the twins growing bigger, Uncle Ed was able to retire and move north, with Aunt Joanne. Ray and Kim moved the family to a farm north of Mayville. Eighty acres of bliss where the only sound on a winter night was the distant highway sounds over a half mile away. Within a year or two the economy began to change, also known as the Reagan years, and Ray and Kim began to struggle with their payments. Much like today, times were tough and work became scarce. The cabinet making business was in full-blown recession and Ray was raising goats for milk at the farm but goats’ milk was a high-grade staple that many could not afford and eighty goats can really put away some hay. They had added another child to the flock and had adopted one of the troubled teens that Ray had worked with. Thing were getting bad quickly with no relief in sight.
A couple of years earlier uncle Ed had passed away leaving me to talk to the hockey players through the TV, men with names like Izerman and Vachon. I got to talk to them in color with decent sound while hooked to a cable. Times might change but the actions of union people are something you can always bet the farm on. To this day, whenever I sit down to watch a hockey game I think of uncle Ed and the great times we had.
It was Christmas in Mayville, Michigan not so long ago and not so far away. The cold was bitter and the Christmas turkey looked a lot like a skinny chicken. Ray and Kim had received their Final Notice on the house and would have to vacate the farm shortly after the first of the year. Now Ray and Kim were not overly religious people. As a matter of fact, they rarely went to church or even prayed to a higher power . . . but now was different. The times were dire. Soon their children would not have a home and the answers to fix these problems were not in their grasp. They simply didn’t know what to do or who to turn to. Christmas is a time of happiness and cheer but if you are down the pressure of the holidays can be crushing. Later that evening, after the children were all tucked in for the night Kim grabbed the old bible off the shelf and wiped the dust off. He took a long look out the window at the snow falling on the evergreens, that would soon become the banks’, and told Ray, “I just don’t know what else to do, will you pray with me?” Now you have to know my cousin Ray, she is hard as rocks and not used to asking anyone for help but she realized the seriousness of the situation and simply said “yes”. Kim had no idea what passage in the bible he would use to get the prayer started so he just opened it somewhere in the middle. What he saw made him cry. When he opened the bible slips of paper fell out and floated gracefully to the floor. He recognized these slips of paper as U.S. Savings bonds. There was several thousand dollars in mature savings bonds with a note from uncle Ed that simply read, “You will need these some day, love dad.” All union people know there are bumps in the road for us all and we can’t predict what will come but we can prepare our families and ourselves for it and that is what uncle Ed had done. Like many union people he worked hard and put a little away for his family to help them through a tough time. Christmas time is a time of magic and it always seems that a miracle is just around the corner.
As always, it has been a pleasure and an honor to be your editor during 2010. We have gone through a lot of ups and downs this year but we have gone through them together. From my family to your family; have a wonderful holiday season. Thanks for listening . . .Tony
