mr. mackey

My across the street neighbor Mr. Mackey and his wife Faye are sort of the anomaly of our street.

They do not embrace anything of the poverty culture or mentality. Their house is in better condition compared to the rest of the street. Yet they are not “rich” by American standards and live quite modestly.

Their mannerisms and so forth are very middle class. Mannerisms like...occasionally making a snarky comment about a neighbor or two who parks in the front yard and leaves trash everywhere.

Yard parking and trashy yards: those are two major offenses against the middle class mindset. I think. Or maybe it’s just their generation.

I love the Mackeys a lot. In many ways, they remind me of my parents. Or maybe my wife’s parents. I mean, they are all the same age, go to the same type of church (church of christ), and make the same kinds of snarky comments about yard appearances.

Maybe this is just the culture of 60-somethings who worship at the coc. I don’t know.

Recently, I’ve noticed how I am a lot like Mr. Mackey. Or, I am becoming like him.

First, Mackey is a cabinet maker by trade. Although he’s been known to do other various trades jobs like general contracting for home renovations which he uses me on occasion. Recently, he and his wife quit their paper route after nearly 20 years. They grew tired of the early morning hours yet they feared losing the steady income. So they confided in me that they were taking a leap of faith and quitting the paper route.

Now he’s got so much work that he can barely keep up. Thank you CEO.

Anyway, Mr. Mackey’s history is that he was once a young preacher in the coc. His first (and last) preaching gig out of college was in some small town in Louisiana in the late 1960’s.

He said that preaching was fine, but the church was tough – a bunch of old rednecks and so forth.

Mackey preached there for two years and the church wanted to get rid of him. The final death knell: Mackey’s sermon on how they should accept black people into their church.

They kicked him out for that one.

So, the Mackey’s made their way for a new life in the fair mother city enrolling in school. They bought the house they still live in, started a family, and he fell into trades work.

So I’m thinking: beat up by religion, making your own living with your hands. Yeah, I can relate to that.

I’m finding more and more former professional clergy in the trades-world within the fair mother city.