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1/ Some convo last night over people reaching their full potential, reminded me of my uncle.
After military service, Paul spent his entire life working as a janitor at the local VA hospital. No college. Just above minimum wage.
After military service, Paul spent his entire life working as a janitor at the local VA hospital. No college. Just above minimum wage.
2/ Some here would say his life was a failure, that he didn't live up to his potential ... because they would judge him on his job alone. No college, no remarkable job, low salary.
3/ But what they won't know is this: As a child, Paul & his twin brother (my 2nd adoptive father) would roam the hills above the rivers in Minneapolis, dreaming of the Lakota Sioux who once lived there, whose descendants still lived in the area.
4/ And when he returned after military service, Paul and my dad started interviewing those descendants, some who had lived on the banks of lakes & rivers. It was their history and Paul recorded it all on little index cards.
5/ He recorded the original Lakota Sioux names for all the landmarks in Minnesota and surrounding areas.
6/ One of my cousins and I still remember sitting in the corner of some dark living room, as they chatted with someone new they'd found -bored at the time, priceless now. And also priceless were the times spent on the Rosebud Indian Reservation as those conversations continued.
7/ And eventually, Paul had so much information that he learned from his curiosity alone, that he wrote a book containing both the stories, but also a full map with the original Lakota names. (Illustrations by my dad.)
8/ This VA Hospital janitor who never went to college became an expert on a piece of history that would have been forever lost, except for him.
9/ He became close friends with Clyde Bellecourt, Ojibwe activist & one of the original founders of the American Indian Movement (google Wounded Knee to learn more about a hero). https://www.startribune.com/ancestral-mi-ni-so-ta/18805604/
10/ Paul became an invited speaker, recognized for his contributions to history, honored by the tribe. Most of us will never contribute the way he did.
11/ All I ask is that people judge others and how they contribute by more than just the job they do to pay the bills. Because by that measure, my uncle was a failure. But he was anything but. And he was one of my favorite people.
12/ Should also note that a LOT of vets that came thru the VA, some who were alone & scared, found a friend in my uncle. Sure, we could replace a janitor with a robot, but you couldn't replace the human touch. Technology isn't always the answer.
