No Excuses

I Didn't Know it at the Time, but Ranger Norm Had Never Learned to Read or Drive

God has always called men to serve who were not ready or prepared.
Thus the glory goes to the right person.

Ranger Norm was one of my Stockade Rangers who invested heavily in me and the other Stockaders under his care. Though he was an unassuming man, Ranger Norm  had a huge impact on the boys he humbly served. He was a blue-collar man who wore his work clothes everywhere, even to the weekly Stockade meetings. What attracted us to Norm was that he really cared and took a personal interest in us.

Years later when I was talking with my Mother about my experience as a Stockader I mentioned that I remembered him walking the 2 miles from his home to my home to help me work on my achievements. I knew he didn't own a car and I remember I had to walk really fast to keep up with his long and practiced strides. Much to my surprise she informed me that the reason Norm didn’t have a car was that he couldn’t read and therefore was not able to pass the written driver’s exam.