What the Pearl Did

I think I have mentioned before that my father, Skeets Coleman, was somewhat famous.  He was a test pilot back in the 50s who flew the first vertical takeoff and landing airplane. As a matter of fact, he was the only one to have flown it.  He gained fame from those years of dangerous work, with commercials, interviews, fame and recognition within the aviation community.  It led him to great jobs, wonderful opportunities to make money, support his family and promote aviation in the best way he knew how.   I still get calls and emails from people wanting his autograph, photo or to conduct an interview with him. At age 94 he doesn’t have the mental acuity to do that but he still remembers his glory days, better than most other things in life actually.

What the Pearl Didn’t Do

So, you could say he was one of the lucky ones who brought the pearl back up.  Only it was only one pearl.  Yes, he was able to parlay that pearl into other things, and that is good. But that pearl didn’t make him something he was not.  The pearl didn’t cause him to not drink so much. The pearl didn’t cause him rid himself of his temper.  The pearl didn’t make him more moral or ethical or loving or kind.  What the pearl did was make him and his endeavors more recognizable to more people.  That was the pearl he picked up. And it was a good pearl.

Many Pearls

But we can’t depend on one pearl to satisfy us, just as ultimately it didn’t satisfy my father.  He had to dive down again and find other pearls, not associated fame.  He had to find the pearl of wisdom, the pearl of patience, the pearl of satisfaction, the pearl of brokenness.  It was when he found those pearls that he became the better man.  It was collecting those other pearls that allowed him to grow and learn and become worthy of that first pearl of fame.

What pearls are you diving for?

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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman, who loves his father.

Quote by Louisa May Alcott, 1832-1888, American author

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Trivia question of the day

Which U.S. President sewed his own clothes as well as some of his wife’s?  

Come back tomorrow for the answer.

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