WHAT OUR KIDS PICK UP FROM US

Awhile ago I had a conversation with a friend who was pondering what their adult children had picked up from parents about the living of life. (I’m going to refer to them as our kids, even though an English professor that I had at Gustavus abhorred the use of the word "kid.") Sometimes we feel that our kids did not appreciate what we did for them. Maybe that can also be turned around and we can say that we do not appreciate what our kids have done.

So, let me say something about my kids - Peter and Christopher, aka Pete & Chris. Unlike their parents, they did not choose to pursue an education very much beyond high school. Yet, they are both extremely literate people who are constantly reading books, articles (especially on line) and paying attention to what is happening in the world - you name it, other nations and cultures, politics, economics, religious quirks in the world. I am always amazed and grateful when we get together for lunch or something and each of them have some remarkable things to say about what is going on in life as they view it.

Both their mother, Lynda, my wife, Janet and I have been people who have been very absorbed in occupations/vocations in which we have sought to give a lot of ourselves to the world in which we live. Yes, a lot of our focus has been on the Christian church as pastors and global church leaders. That’s not the only thing we have been about. You can find us in the arenas of music, reading, writing, engaging with people of other cultures and religions.

But I have been thinking about what Pete and Chris have been doing as a primary focus in life. The other day Janet and I drove by a restaurant called "Delights of India." It reminded me that when Chris was about 15 or 16 years old he worked there mostly washing dishes. That would have been at least 24 years ago. As life has unfolded for him he has been in what I call the food industry. He has worked in a great variety of places with foods of many cultures - starting way back then with "Delights of India."

If we imparted to him anything, it was an appreciation of different kinds of people and the importance of making a contribution to life in one way or another. Chris has really picked that up. I could not possibly do what he does - preparing all sorts of food in the twinkling of an eye, managing kitchens, waiting on people in dining areas with an amazing ability to give them what they want and need. He’s tried out all sort of positions in restaurants and hotels, including being a chef. He went to Zanzibar (an island in the Indian Ocean that is part of mainland Tanzania) for awhile to manage the Emerson & Green Hotel, which also meant he had to learn, very quickly, Swahili language to manage the staff. Once in awhile Janet and I would call him because she speaks fluent Swahili from her days (1964-68) in Tanzania. If you want to see what that places is like check out http://www.africa-ata.org/zz_emerson_green.htm

Currently Chris has decided to just serve people and is working at two great restaurants in Minneapolis and also at an organic meat market.

Now, on the other hand, Chris’ older brother, Pete, gives himself in a very different way. His life is imbedded in technology, in managing his own company called Linear Velocity (check out http://www.linearvelocity.com/). It’s his own gig in which he networks with corporate clients, vendors and individuals to design events they need for annual meetings of corporations, specialized programs/concerts and cultural events.

With Chris, we have to check out which restaurant he may be working at today. With Pete, we have to check out which part of the world he might be in today. For example, as I write, today he is in Potenza, Italy where he was giving a presentation to a group of Italian folk. He spoke about fundraising for arts institutions and festivals which he also calls Building Networks and Relationships. (If you want to read what he had to say, go to:
www.progettokublai.net/wp-content/petetidemann_kublaipresentation.pdf

Pete does mundane things, like setting up the audio engineering equipment needed for an event to be heard and seen by their clients or audiences (e.g. for Arctic Cat, Macy’s, Polaris). But there are other things that require both technical and cultural expertise.

He was on hand for the NBA All Star Game to make it possible for the audience to hear Elton John on the main court at half time. He goes to Shanghai every year to enable a meeting and show for Target Corporation including bringing cultural groups from Southeast Asia in for the gig.

The Zanzibar International Film Festival called on Pete to advise them on technical infrastructure.

For the following eight years he worked with ZIFF and others to expand on their vision, starting the first training and education program in technical arts in East Africa.

Festival Film Jakmel in Haiti called on Pete to manage the technical details behind a concert with international superstar Wyclef Jean. 80,000 people showed up for the concert on a beach.

I could go on and on about each of our kids. To say the least, I am proud of them. I think they picked up something from their parents and translated it into a gift of life for themselves and for hundred and even thousands of other people. They do things I could not conceive of doing, even though I enjoy good food and know more than a little bit about technology. I have not always been the best father in the world. I have sometimes been too engaged in my vocational life to spend the time I might have spent with them. But Pete and Chris have survived and thrived and I am thankful to God for them.

Some time I will write something about what my parents gave to me – which was a whole lot.
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