MJ-Way

.With my job in utter confusion because of the management’s reorganization of our work load, I decided to not take any classes which would now slow my graduation plans, but in the end would prove to be the correct decision. I hired in at UPS to work five hour days. However, that was not the case now. We were expected to stay on the job until all of our trucks were loaded. The only good part of this reorganization was I was paid overtime for any hours worked over five. For the next three weeks, eight hours a day became the normal work day, and I was becoming very frustrated. As always I prayed for direction feeling like I was between a rock and a hard place. The workers were not happy at UPS and conditions were deteriorating there quickly.

.The UPS drivers started coming in early and rearranged their trucks packages not likening how they were being loaded. Some of the other part-time employees began to leave UPS because of the friction, and new work requirements. The environment was very tense and stressful. The foreman’s began to beg those part timers like me, not to quit, citing that these changes were making things better, and there would be bonuses paid for those who continued employment. I believe that fell on deaf ears. Back at school, I checked to see what was posted for my last exam grade and I did not enroll in the winter semester. I was happy to know I passed my exams and began walking to my car. I noticed a woman struggling to change her flat tire in what looked to be an on coming storm. It looked like it could get nasty. Both sleet and snow were in the predicted forecast.

. I offered my help and she was quick to accept it. As I began changing her tire, she began interviewing me, and I spilled my guts about what was happening at UPS. She gave me a number to the Detroit Medical Center, Harper Hospital Personnel Office. She informed me that she had been working there for a couple of years now in the Respiratory Therapy Department and just earned her RN certification here at Macomb. She would begin working in one of the critical care units after she received her license. She gave me her name and told me to use her for a reference. She had nothing but good things to say about the medical center, and included they paid her full tuition. They do that for their employees.

. Her description of the Medical Center piqued my interest. I was definitely checking this out. I finished putting on her spare tire and she told me to call personnel when I got the chance. I nodded I will and she thanked me for the help as she drove off. Just then it started sleeting and I thought wow I need to get my hands warm. I blew on them as I ran to my car. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I would see her again, and she would officially become a mentor. At work the next day I was now working almost nine hour days, and management talked about making me fulltime. I had to think about that for awhile.

..When I mentioned it to Sam, he laughed believing they were trying to minimize the part-time departures. Too little too late. He told me I was the only part-timer left, and it would probably be cheaper for them to pay me a fulltime wage. I was killing them on anything over 5 hours overtime. Sam always knew how to put me in a good mood. He would pressure the Forman to keep me unloading trailers with him. It spared me from having to reload the delivery trucks. I eventually realized this couldn’t’ go on forever. I made the call to Harper Hospital’s Personnel office the very next day. It was one of my best decisions. They wanted me to come in for an interview, and I was most happy to do so. …..My Life’s Journey Continued…

Philippians 4:4-11

.. .After reading the sign, I felt my heart sink to my knees, and I looked at Sam for his reaction. He felt the “big shots” were making changes, “cuz that’s what the big shots do. We shall soon see what’s in store for us now.!” Sarcastically mentioning, he didn’t think it involved a pay raise, at least not for us, and proceeded to punch out on the time clock. He looked back at me and smiled. He didn’t feel we had anything to worry about. The number of trailers we were emptying were increasing, and this UPS hub was super busy. We would find out more at the meeting. At that point I was looking at finishing the fall semester and still would need four classes to complete an Associates Degree. I was wondering what kind of changes would be in the making at UPS and how it would effect my taking classes. I would find out tomorrow for sure. I made sure to pray for positive outcomes only.

. ..The next day it was a very large meeting. All the drivers from this service hub were there as well. I was being paid overtime for staying past my 5 hour shift, and lucky it was Friday. I never took classes on Friday. I saw Sam and some of the other employees. Sam was speaking with the drivers. They didn’t seem to be happy and I was getting concerned. I then noticed a Teamster Union official talking with someone I presumed would be management. I was correct. The UPS management asked everyone to sit down, and they began the meeting. It turned out that this hub was very productive. Because of the increased volume of packages being processed here they were adding more trucks for distribution. They also decided to change the way the distribution trucks would be loaded. In essence, we would be loading the distribution trucks as well. We would load between 6 and 8 distribution trucks by addresses. We would have to unload the trailers first, and then load the distribution trucks.

.I looked at Sam for his reaction, and I noticed he was just shaking his head from left to right. That indication and the frowns on the faces of the drivers told me something was beginning to stink badly with this management reorganization of the work load. The drivers pointed out that they preferred to load their own trucks. That way they could optimize the deliveries. They knew the roads and would load their trucks in a way they could deliver the packages quickly. Although they seemed to provide a logical argument, the UPS management seemed to have made up their mind, and decided to implement their new system in steps. I was glad to be finishing this semester, I wasn’t sure I would be able to take any more classes not knowing the uncertainty of the work load. I was right with that decision. The week after I finished my finals, we began the new loading system at UPS, and it was pure chaos. …My Life’s Journey Continued…

…It was a couple of weeks now after Darrel had been found by me and I still thought about what would motivate someone to use heroin. Sam felt it was a way for him to come down from driving long distances. He was probably using amphetamines to stay awake while driving. Sam didn’t think he was using for long and that’s why he overdosed. I thought a couple of cold beers would have been fine for me, but Sam explained, “the euphoria and immediate rush once the tourniquet was loosed after the injection was the high. If the heroin was good they would nod off, sleeping.” That’s why the boss said he was now officially a citizen of the land of nod. The drug is very addictive, and Sam said he stayed away from using any nonprescription. Like me, a cold beer is all he needed, but Darrel was not cut from that cloth.

…We began unloading our last trailer of the day, and I was feeling pretty energetic. My mood was now a little more up beat knowing we were at the end of our shift. As I lifted what I thought was the last box out of the truck I bumped a much smaller box that was under it. The smaller box began to vibrate and started bouncing all over the floor of the now empty truck. I would be crazy to admit I wasn’t afraid but that unexpected vibrating put me into a sheer panic. I hauled ass out of the empty trailer. The now vibrating little box was bouncing all over the floor of the trailer. Sam was laughing and instructed me to go back and get it. “Hell no,” I exclaimed. It could be a bomb!” He called me a rookie shaking his head and still laughing as he fetched it. He shook it a few more time and it stopped vibrating. He shook again and it started vibrating again. I could see he was having fun at my expense.

…I was truly impressed. He didn’t blow up. Still laughing he brought the box over for me to inspect. He instructed me to look at the address and return address. It was addressed to a Mrs. Connolly somewhere in Detroit, Michigan. The return address was Adam and Eve Specialty Shops no other address given. He asked me, “do you know who they are?” I shook my head no. He smiled again shaking his head, then said, “They sell sex toys.” He couldn’t stop laughing. Damn, I thought out loud again. “so your telling me that this is probably a battery operated dildo?” Man, I felt like a real idiot now. He shook his head yes but said, “what ever it is they may need to buy new batteries for it by the time they get it. It just might quit working right in the middle of their usage.” I laughed, saying, “Yep, maybe just like their partner. Deja vu!” Sam continued laughing. I didn’t feel so bad now and as we began punching out a sign by the time clock was posted for everyone to see. “UPS Employees Mandatory Meeting!” … My Life’s Journey Continued…

…The police did want to speak with me and their questions were to the point.” What time did I see him? Did I know him? What time I told my supervisor? Do I use or do I know anyone one that uses, or sells heroin?” I had to say “no” to all of them. They took my name and number and told me they would give me a call if they had any other questions. I shook my head and said “OK.” They left and my supervisor filled me in on the details. His name was Darrel and he had been driving for UPS for the past 6 years. A long distance driver for them as well. He had a young wife and a year old child. The wife would be coming in to sign paperwork. She was in shock. I felt bad for her and the now fatherless child. I asked, “did any one know he had a drug habit?” My boss shook his head no, and apparently his wife didn’t know either. I shook my head and went back to the dock to help Sam unload trailers. While we worked I informed Sam what had happened earlier.

… Sam said he knew Darrel but he didn’t know he had a drug habit. They had a couple of beers together at one of the local bars. Sam felt it was too bad. He has a real nice wife and a young son. He had met them both. Sam changed the subject and wanted me to know of something else that was happening at our terminal. He informed me that the “big shots” were here from Atlanta. That usually meant there would be changes. I questioned him on “what kind of changes?” He didn’t know, but the last time they were here, they increased the amount of volume this terminal was handling, and our work load doubled. That’s why they hired all the part-time college students. I was part of that recruitment. Sam was here a whole lot longer than I, and I took his concern seriously. I was hoping I would still have a job.

… As we were finishing up my supervisor wanted to see me in his office. Wow, making changes already I thought. However, when I got there it wasn’t anything about my job. In front of me sat a very pretty young lady with hazel green eyes that were red and puffy. A young boy with blue eyes and blonde hair was sitting on her lap pulling her blonde hair. I knew who she was. Sam’s description of her being “real nice” was an understatement. You could get lost in her eyes even though they were red from crying. I was wondering why my boss wanted me. I must of had that look when he stated, “Melissa felt she needed to say thank you.” At the same time the young boy on her lap reached up for me to hold him. My hair was long like his fathers and I had mutton sideburns but no goatee or mustache. She raised him up to me and I held him. He was obviously tired as he laid his head on my shoulder.

..I explained I was very sorry for her and her son’s loss, and they have my sincere condolences. The room was complete silence for what seemed forever. She then said, “Thank you again.” I handed her back her son, and my boss informed her the company would be in touch. She left his office and I was completely numb. I must of looked like it because my boss said, “that was tough.” Another understatement I thought. I was drained emotionally now and physically tired from unloading the trucks. I just wanted to shower and go to bed forgetting this day. My boss informed me that Darrel had just cashed his paycheck and had over $3000.00 dollars in his wallet. They were grateful nobody else found him before I did. I thought out loud this time feeling really exhausted, “I may be a lot of things in this world boss, but a scoundrel isn’t one of them!” I left to punch out on the time clock ending my shift. ..My Life’s Journey continued..

… It felt good to be back home from Montreal but I would need to get a quick nap and be at work in about six hours. Being young had its advantages. Energy being one of them. It didn’t take me long to rest and refill that tank. I grabbed an egg sandwich and my coffee thermos as I headed out the door to work. It was early and hardly any traffic on the road but as usual Detroit city airport was busy. As I got closer to the UPS terminal I could see they had at least 8 to 10 semi trailers backed up to their dock. It was going to be a busy night. When I got out of my car, in the parking lot, I noticed something unusual. and I got an eerie feeling. There was a box the size of a washing machine next to one of the semis propped up against the wall of the dock. There looked to be a pair of bluejeaned legs dressed with cowboy boots sticking out of the box. The legs were crossed.

…I called out to the person in the box but got no response. I was getting concerned as I called out again and again got no response. As much as I didn’t want to, I had to go find out what was happening, and I’d have to say that I was shocked at what I saw. The dock lights illuminated the inside of the box. I could see it was a white male with long greasy blonde hair a mustache and goatee of the same color. He had on a black summer shirt that was full of his spittle as it dreuled from his mouth over his mustache and goatee. His lips and finger nails were blue. He had what looked to be a loosened tourniquet on his arm and a needle made from an eyedropper still stuck in the vein in his forearm. I understood immediately what I was looking at as a teaspoon, small patch of aluminum foil and matches were laying in his lap. His eyes were wide open and blue. He wasn’t breathing and probably hadn’t been for sometime. He lost his body fluids, and on this hot muggy night it wasn’t something I wanted to keep smelling. All I kept saying to myself was “Holy Shit.”

…I ran into the UPS terminal and tried to find my supervisor. He was opening up the truck bays and he saw me running towards him. He could tell I was flummoxed as I shouted “there’s a dead guy by the dock bay, and he looks like an OD.!” He walked down the steps of the dock to see what I was talking about and he saw him immediately. He looked back at me after looking in the box and said, “that’s one of our semi drivers. I’ll call the police.” He thought the same thing I did. He’d been there awhile. It was going on 5:00am and he dropped the trailer off at 1:30AM. My boss now understood why the other trailer he was to pick up wasn’t. “He’s driving but it ain’t no semi. He’s got a permanent vacay in the land of nod.” My boss told me to go punch in and start unloading trailers. He informed me the police would probably want to talk to me too. I shook my head yes, and went to punch in still numb from what I had just experienced My heart was just a thumping.. …My Life’s Journey continued…

…I felt I was making real progress. I was working just over two months with UPS, and the camaraderie was awesome. Everyone was a college student, and on our breaks we talked about what we did for fun. I informed them if I wasn’t fishing, or hiking, I would be playing tennis with friends. I also enjoyed going to concerts, if I could get “cheap tickets.” My summers were always a lot of fun, but went by way too fast. When school started again in September, I limited my social activity, and concentrated on my studies. That kept me real busy. I did occasionally go to concerts, and I was able to see one of Detroit’s prodigies, the one and only, “Stevie Wonder!” The ticket only cost me $7.00. I saw him in Detroit and Montreal. Those concerts were memorable. In Detroit he played at the “Old Red Brick Barn” known to native Detroiter’s as the Olympia. It was also home of the Detroit Red Wings Hockey team.

…In Montreal, he played at the Montreal Forum. Another historical stadium known as the home of the Montreal Canadian Hockey team. That ticket only cost me $10.00 Canadian, and about $8.00 American on the exchange. Stevie was an unbelievable musician. What I liked most about him was he always gave thanks to God and seemed inspired by that holy realm. I would see him much later in life both in person and in concert. He is equixially talented. Always thoughtful of his audience, and wanting to play what they wanted to hear. I could not spend that long in Montreal, but I met a bunch of students from McGill University who could not believe I traveled all the way from Detroit to see him in concert. They spoke better English than I spoke French, but I assured them when he starts playing they will know why I came to see him. He didn’t disappoint them. The acoustics of the arena, and his opening song “Superstition” had them sitting at the edge of their seats. I could only smile.

…At the end of the concert they wanted to get my address so we could be “pen pals.” I exchanged addresses with them, but knew I could not stay much longer here. I had at least an 8-10 hour drive back to Detroit, and depending on traffic, it could be even longer. I said, “au revoir” which led the young men to shake my hand, and the young ladies hugged me kissing me on the cheek. I know I was blushing again because they started laughing at me. I could only respond in French, ” je ne sais quoi” which had them giggling even more. I stayed at the Queens Hotel for the night, and had a good rest. I made sure to leave a tip for the housekeeper because I knew I left the bathroom shower in shambles. The room was much cleaner than I had left it.

…On my ride home I could only think of the concert songs and I was glad some of them played on the radio. The weather was great and it only took me 8 hours to get to the border. I had no problem coming through the Canadian side but got hung up on the American side. They wanted me to produce my draft card and reminded me that by law I had to carry it. When I looked in my wallet it wasn’t there, but then I remembered they wanted to see it when I left. It was sitting in the cup holder. Crisis averted. They smiled and waved me through when I produced it. I thanked God again for the safe journey back home! The memory of the concert still fresh in my mind inspired me for a lifetime. .My Life’s Journey Continued…

Motown’s Musical Genius:

… I traveled about 10 miles to get to the UPS loading hub which was next to the Detroit City Airport. My new work place. The city always held an industrial ambiance but on late nights, on the east side, one could always smell what seemed to be potato chips in the wind. The Better Made Potato Chip factory was working full production tonight for sure. You could taste them if you took a deep breath. It only took me 20 minutes to get to work. Not too much traffic at 3:30AM. This will be nice I thought out loud. The warehouse was just starting to open up. The semis were already parked 8 deep filling all of the dock spaces. I punched in and went into the main warehouse where I met my supervisor. He was happy to have me aboard and he motioned for another employee to come over to where we were standing. He introduced me to the guy I would be working with unloading the trucks.

.. .He shook my hand and stated that he all ready knew a lot about me because he was a friend of a mutual friend. I smiled and questioned him, “Dave?” He smiled again shaking his head. Wow, I thought what a small world. His name was Sam. Our supervisor informed me that Sam would show me the ropes. Mainly how to unload the trucks without getting hurt. It was a lot of fun, and a great work out. They played a non stop, night time radio station WJZZ, “all jazz- all the time,” and by the time my shift was over, I was ready for a shower. We unloaded two full semi trailers, which had been packed to precision. No wasted space. My supervisor wanted to know if I would be back tomorrow? I smiled, and said, “of course.” Sam laughed as well. We got to talk during our break and he informed me that Dave had told him what happened to me at TRW and that he knew a good lawyer if I wanted to pursue a law suit.

…I told him I was just glad to be out of there, and felt God was watching my back. I was grateful to be working at UPS. I didn’t want anything from TRW but my last check. I didn’t miss the factory. On a night like tonight, it would be at least 105 degrees inside the plant, if not hotter. This building was airconditioned, and besides, the factory job I got right out of high school. I wanted to put all of that behind me now, and push on an enlightened path. I would be starting my second year of college working on a Liberal Arts Degree and deciding what courses I needed to take to complete it. In the near future, I would have to decide what university I would apply to but right now I just wanted to enjoy the summer! Working here looked very promising, and I made sure to thank Jesus on a regular basis. I hadn’t been this happy in a long time. ….My Life’s Journey…to be continued……

…My summer session was ending and my friend had informed me she received a full-ride scholarship to the University of Denver. She was completing a degree in social work and wanted to work on her Master degree as well. I was happy for her but deep inside had hoped she would stay here. She had friends and family in Colorado and Arizona. She was looking forward to seeing them again. She had only been staying for the summer with her grandmother. ( Her Vacation) She asked me if I had ever been out west, and I had informed her I’d been to Kalamazoo. She couldn’t stop from laughing. “My God you are not only sweet you are sheltered.”

…I had to let her know I was anything but sheltered. I hunted, fished, hiked, all over northern Michigan, and Canada, including Michigan’s Upper Peninsula!!! She asked me if I ever saw the Grand Canyon, and I had to inform her I had not. “Well maybe some day you should make plans to see it, ” she said. She informed me I would be amazed to see it in person. She said goodbye, hugged me before leaving, and stated she would be in touch. I wondered if this was her way of saying goodbye. Would I really hear from her again? Time waits for no one and I needed to get it together before beginning work at UPS. I had to inform the unemployment office that I had found another job, but even though it was only part-time, it paid more than the full time job I had been laid off from. I would lose the insurance wage but gain much more.

…I had remembered to let Dave know I was leaving TRW and starting employment at UPS. He was glad for me and believed it was a great move. He had a couple of friends already working at UPS and they loved it. I had to plan on what classes I would be taking in the fall semester, but I needed to see how I felt after my shift at UPS. The first day of work I showed up at 4:00AM sharp dressed in tennis shoes, jeans and a t-shirt. The Forman was glad to see me. He showed me where the time clock was and gave me my time card. After I punched in, he explained what I would be doing. I basically would be unloading UPS semi-truck trailers. I would be teamed with another employee. I liked what I saw. The place was clean, the other employees welcomed me to the team, and they were college students pursuing a dream. I couldn’t thank GOD enough. Looking back, He seemed to have more faith in me than I in Him, and I was now out of the factory! ………….My Life’s Journey Continued………..

…We found beverages in the student union and I apologized to my friend for not hearing what she was saying. She had invited me to a pool/house party over one of her friends and wanted to know if I could make it? It was tonight. I informed her I could and she gave me the directions. I wanted to know if I needed to bring anything and she told me just myself, towel and bathing suit. She needed to run some errands and told me she would see me tonight. I agreed and nodded I would see her tonight. After she left, I couldn’t help noticing a help wanted sign on the bulletin board next to the councilors office, and it was for the United Parcel Service. Just like David had told me, it was for material handlers, working 5 hour days, 5 days a week, and the wages were more than what I was earning at the factory. I thought it was too good to be true but I did copy down the personnel number.

.. . I had a good time at the pool party and talked with people I hadn’t seen since my junior high school years. It brought back a lot of good memories. At class on Monday my friend was quick to point out that I spent a lot of time talking and hardly anytime swimming. I apologized but explained many of the people there I had some what of a history with. I was very surprised to see them. She sarcastically smiled at me and said, “no kidding.” I think I might have bored her to death explaining how I knew some of them, and was glad when our instructor finally started class. We worked on over hand serves and I was able to master a volley that barely made it over the net. I could tell that this skill was my weakest. Once class was over, I continued practicing with another student. My friend had reminded me to call United Parcel Service and I thanked her. I did totally forget, but she remembered our conversation about me wanting to leave TRW. She hugged me goodbye, and told me I was a sweet one. It caught me off guard and I could feel my self blushing.

…She left and I thanked God at that moment she didn’t look back at me. The student I was practicing with laughed at me and served a bullet shot at me. I was not prepared for that and I heard him say “hey player get your head in the game.” He continued laughing. We finished practicing and I made it back to the student union building to call UPS. I was surprised when the women answering the phone informed me I needed to come in as soon as possible. They had openings but they were filling them quickly. I made an appointment first thing in the morning when they opened. I made sure to wear a sport jacket, dress slacks, dress shirt and tie. I arrived early the next morning. The secretary smiled when I told her why I was here. She directed me to an office at the end of the hallway. The door was partially closed so I knocked.

…I was directed to enter by a gruffy voice who was shocked by my attire when I entered his office. “What job are you here for kid mine?” I laughed and informed him I didn’t want his job but I was hoping I could get one of the part-time night shift jobs. I explained that I was currently on layoff from TRW and collecting unemployment insurance. I was a full-time student and the money I was making fulltime with TRW was less than I would be making part-time at UPS. Besides, I needed a schedule that fit my school schedule and with TRW I never knew what shift I would be called back to. He looked at me and said, ” you are hired kid.” He couldn’t believe how well dressed I was for the job I was applying for. He directed me back to a secretary who helped me complete all the needed paper-work. She told me when and where to report to work. I would start in a week. I thanked God and hoped this was his will for me. I would be working in the city I was born in. …My Life’s Journey Continued… >>>>>>>>>>>>>>1 Peter 1:3-9

..I was enjoying my tennis class and deciding what to do next as far as a job was concerned. I had played tennis with my brothers and father in some of the Detroit parks but my favorite, was Farwell park. That one was near my grandmothers house and always had something happening in it. They had a stand alone wall that was used for handball and tennis practice. They also had tennis courts. I practiced every chance I got and that was at least once a week when visiting my grandparents. The class was very informative . I learned how to over head serve, and became rather good at that. I enjoyed playing with my classmates on the courts and then our instructor wanted to see how well I could return his serve. I returned it with an undercut backhand and the ball landed on his side of the court immediately exiting the court where he couldn’t play it. He looked dumb founded at me.

..He mumbled something and told me he wanted me to return his serve again. He blistered one to my right side where I did the same thing. I powered a for handed shot with under cut spin and it bounced on his side of the court away from him. He asked me to come to the net. He wanted to know if I was playing professionally, I told him no, and I don’t think he believed me. He asked if I would stay after class, and “play him a game?” I informed him I would but I was still learning the basics. He gave me a wry smile. The class ended and one of my friends from class, who heard him ask me to stay after class ended, wanted to watch me play him. I was flattered, but I had to tell her he would probably smoke me. She still wanted to see what I could do.

.. I felt his serves were friendly at first and I had no problem returning his volleys. However, after awhile he began to move me back and forth from one side of the court to the other and I was quickly becoming tired. I was able to undercut several of his shots which he wasn’t able to return and won the serve. My serve was not consistent and he easily took the match. I thanked him for the lesson and he smiled. My friend thought I did pretty well, but I informed her I wasn’t even in his league. We left and went to get something refreshing to drink but all I could think about was were I needed to go for employment. I thought about what David had told me about UPS and figured I would need to check them out. I didn’t see a future at the factory. My friend was busy talking and noticed I didn’t hear her? “Michael, you look like you are a million miles away, ” she exclaimed. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I was, and thinking about how God was directing me now. My life’s Journey ….Continued….