"Bricolage"

As the vending machine business managed by my dad expanded, my mother had to prepare more and more sandwiches, so the sandwich-making operation moved from our kitchen bar to a large kitchen at a remote location. My mother hired two people to help her, so I was free to pursue another job—one that actually had a salary!

One of the ladies who worked with my mother was Zola Mae Ivory. Her husband, Frank, worked with my dad, so the Ivory family were very special to my family. Frank is the person who taught me how to drive in an old International pickup.

At work one day my mother was telling Zola Mae that she wanted to have her ears pierced, but she did not want to pay anyone to do it. Zola Mae told her that she could pierce her ears. After a little convincing, Zola Mae dug around in her purse and found a needle. She heated the needle with a match and pierced both of Mom’s ears. Then, Zola Mae picked up a toothpick on the counter and broke it in half and pushed a piece through each of my mother’s ear lobes. For several days Zola Mae cleaned my mother’s ears with hydrogen peroxide, and my mother had no problems.

The process worked and to this day my mother still wears ear jewelry in those holes. Zola Mae performed her little procedure with things that she had on hand. The French word “bricolage” describes what Zola Mae did. She did the best she could with what she had.

I find it interesting that one language has one word to describe something while another language needs several words to say the same thing.

Have you ever heard someone say something like this: “She is a wise woman. She doesn’t say much, but when she does people listen.”

 “Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent." (Proverbs 17:28).