CRASHING THROUGH THE CEILING

MY BROTHER, FRED, HAS ANOTHER STORY!!!!! THIS ONE SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING I WOULD HAVE DONE.....BY THE WAY, I STUDIED UNDER DR. RICHARDS, TOO, AS DID MY SISTER, NELDA......WE ALL GRADUATED FROM THE SAME UNIVERSITY WITH A DEGREE IN MUSIC....

CRASHING THROUGH THE CEILING

by Fred M. Allen

During my senior year at East Texas State University in Commerce, TX, I was offered some work by Mrs. Richards, wife of Dr. James Richards, Head of the Music Department, ETSU.

The job she assigned me included climbing up into the attic in their home and closing the vents before the winter arrived. The last words she said to me as I was climbing into the attic were, “Be careful to step only on the 2x6's because the ceiling board won't hold you up.”

Well, I carefully moved across the length of the attic and closed the vent on the far end. As I returned I became careless while trying to move faster. My foot slipped off the 2x6 and I fell feet first through the ceiling board directly over their beautiful dining table. There I sat straddling the 2x6 with both feet dangling when Mrs. Richards rushed into the room below asking if I was OK. I assured her that I was all right.

It was one of my most embarrassing moments as I sat there feeling awfully bad about what had happened as a result of my carelessness, especially since she had warned me about that possibility in advance.

I climbed down from the attic and apologized over and over again, and she assured me it was OK, as accidents can happen to anyone at any time. I told her I could not accept any payment for the work I had done because of the expense they would have to pay for the repairs of the damaged ceiling. She insisted and paid me anyhow.

That very night our choir, under the direction of Mrs. Richards' husband, was to present a concert. As I walked into the choir, Dr. Richards looked at me with those piercing eyes which seemed to say, “Fred, I know it was an accident, but please be more careful the next time!” After the concert, I apologized to him profusely, and he forgave me and said he was glad I wasn't injured.

Through the years including our 27 years in Africa where we served as missionaries until his passing in early 2007, we corresponded, and we usually light-heartedly alluded to my crashing through their ceiling.

There are so many lessons to be learned from this true story including the obvious one about following clear instructions more carefully, but perhaps the one I remembered most was the way both Dr. and Mrs. Richards forgave me for the careless mistake I made which cost them hundreds of dollars to repair. Also, they both were relieved to find that I was not injured in the accident.

They taught me the importance of having a forgiving spirit and of compassion and concern for others; but for some unknown reason, they never invited me to work for them again! I wonder why.….