Luckily, a lot of them are happy ones. At the last Postal Council meeting, Thomas K. Daniels, customer relations coordinator of the Jamaica Post Office, and Charles S. Jenkins, who represents the Rosedale Post Office, both…
By Barbara Morris
Life is full of surprises.
Luckily, a lot of them are happy ones. At the last Postal Council meeting, Thomas K. Daniels, customer relations coordinator of the Jamaica Post Office, and Charles S. Jenkins, who represents the Rosedale Post Office, both invited me to attend the 27th anniversary celebration of the two P.O.s on March 20. The two gentlemen made the event sound so enjoyable, and I really did want to go to wish all those wonderful people well, to see the facility, and to hear the speech Mr. Daniels said he was to give. A very full schedule for that day made me give a very conditional reply.
That morning, I rushed around trying to complete all my necessary chores. When I looked at the clock, it seemed to me I could make it by the 11 a.m. starting time if I was lucky enough to catch a bus right away. As I got a few house away from the bus stop, I would hear a bus around the corner. I ran. As the bus pulled into the stop, my shoe flew off. Wisdom told me to pick it up and put it back on. The result left me standing in the bus stop, watching the bus pull away.
I was fortunate to arrive just as two of our other Advisory Council members did, so I felt right at home when Frank Fazio and Mike Lowry and I were seated together at a table with Rose, Michelle, and Michelle's husband.
The building is very attractive and they had really gone all out in decorating the dining hall. The color scheme was golden yellow and blue, which were the school colors when I graduated from P.S. 156 many years ago. The seniors all looked wonderful, too and, as we chatted, everyone seemed happy and positive about the event itself, their past and their futures.
The Reverend Dr. Floyd H. Flake (our former Congressman, who was always most generous in his responses to my many letters while he was in Washington), not only paid us a visit but, along with others, made a brief, inspiring speech. I had not realized that a sit-down dinner was part of the event. Although if was a delicious surprise, I realized I would have to miss an opportunity to congratulate each of the very talented honorees – Aaron Boddie, his wife of 48 years, Naomi Moore Boddie, Ms. Shirley Y. Foy, Mr. Archie Witherspoon, (our “Chef”) and Community Award recipient, and Martha Lassiter-Saxton, in person. I thought I would even have to miss hearing our friend, Thomas K. Daniels speak.
Just as I was about to excuse myself so that I could try to make my next appointment, Mr. Daniels was introduced as the next speaker. I decided to stay, and I was glad I did, because his speech, like the others before him, was very inspirational. His, however, was of particular interest because the meeting I was to attend immediately after the anniversary party, was with the Department of Parks and Recreation, and his chosen topics were grass, ants and fros. Everyone chuckled.
Space limitations preclude my trying to cover all he did, but as Deacon of the New Jerusalem Baptist Church in Jamaica, with his story about the two frogs, he gave all of us hope that if we keep trying, things will get better – and he gave us a bonus of a laugh, too.
Mr. Daniels told us the story of two frogs who fell into a bucket of milk. They knew if they wanted to stay alive they would have to keep kicking. They both kept kicking and kicking, until finally one said to the other, “I’m just too tired. I have to give up.” The other frog said to kick some more so he would stay alive but, alas; he gave up and died. The surviving frog kicked desperately but, finally, he too was so tired he felt he would have to give up, too. Just in time, however, God spoke to him and told him that because he had been so conscientious and refused to give up, he could climb out of the bucket — the frog had kicked so much that the milk had turned to butter.
My sincere thanks to all concerned for a wonderful time and my sincere apologies for having to leave before the entire terrific event was over. Please stay safe, well, and enjoy many more years together.
Remember that both the Jamaica and the JFK post offices will stay open until midnight April 16 for last-minute tax filers.
