Norm owned the local bus company - not travel buses, or school buses - but city buses. My Dad drove part time for him for a while and my brother Bob worked as a bus mechanic before he was able to get into the printing trade. What I remember most about the buses, though, is when we would bounce along on one of his rattling buses to other churches in Western New York for youth rallies, and he was not “slow Norm Carpenter” when he drove the bus.
After 40 years of pastoring, as I consider the input of this man on my life, I realize that as a teenager, the consistency of his faith and the love shown to me and the others in the group, indeed made an imprint that fashioned my walk with God.
As with most teens, (and adults are guilty, too), we forget that the impressions of men and women of faith mold us so slowly that we can’t really go back to one moment or one message that made an immediate change.
The one incident I do remember clearly was not a spiritual one, at least on my part. It was in response to something Norm said to us about dating. He said, “I didn’t kiss my wife until we were married.” My response was, “You really were slow, weren’t you.” We all laughed, and a new name was born, “slow Norm”.
To this day, I’m not sure if he was telling an old joke and didn’t get to finish it. You see, I kissed my sweetheart many times before our wedding day, but I, too, didn’t kiss my wife until we were married. Obviously, she wasn’t my wife until we were married.
You were a great man of God, but were you really “slow” Norm Carpenter?
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