A Story About Neglect

Here is the story I alluded to at the end of my last blog post. It’s a story about a house I framed, got ruined, and was rebuilt. But more than that, it’s a story about neglect.

It was 1977 and I was working with my dad building a house in the foothills over Rancho Cucamonga. It was actually over Alta Loma when we started the project. That year, the communities of Alta Loma, Etiwanda and Cucamonga incorporated and became Rancho Cucamonga. Forty eight years ago, and I can still remember framing the house. My dad was a creative builder. I have a picture of the house. Very futuristic vibe, sort of felt like it was sculpted of stucco. But it wasn’t sculpted out of the stucco, Stucco was like a 1 inch thick layer of paint. It was the framing that defined the shape. Anyway, it was a cool framing job. 

Fast forward to the year 2007. A friend called up and offered me a job. The house next door to his was in dire need of repair. Apparently it sat for several years exposed to the weather. I mean, exposed to the weather. All the stucco had been removed, all the drywall had been removed, all the cabinets, appliances, light fixtures were all gone. All what remained were the foundation, the framing, the mechanicals (electrical, plumbing) and the roof. 

Well, my friend got tired of seeing it so he contacted the owner and offered to buy the house in its current state. I think he bought it for about what the land was worth. And then he gave me a call. When I came to see the job, I was flabbergasted. Why? Because I was looking at the same  house my dad and I built  in 1977. Geez. How did that happen? As houses go, 30 years is an early retirement. 

How did that happen? In one word, neglect.

As you can see, it had a flat roof. That kind of roof requires some maintenance, and after 30 years or so, it needs to be replaced. Well, somehow it started to leak and apparently it wasn’t fixed. I’m not sure how that happened. Maybe it leaked enough to cause problems without showing up in the rooms? However it happened, it ended up creating some mold. Mold is generally not a big problem. You fix where the water came from, and dry it out. But for some people who are allergic to it, it can be bad. Apparently that happened to one of the kids who lived there.  So they moved out and started to fix it, getting rid of the drywall, the stucco, etc. And they installed some trusses with a concrete tile roof over the existing roof. And then, for some reason, the project stopped.  It just sat there for a couple years until my friend bought it.

I’m surmising what happened, I don’t know any of the people that live there, everything I knew was through second person accounts.  Maybe neglect was the problem, maybe something else was to blame, but whatever happened made a mess. 

So I re-framed a house that I already had framed. Some of the walls were moved, we added some square footage, and we removed the flat roof and extended the walls to meet the trusses that were laid on top of the flat roof. It was a big job. 

So I guess this true story is a metaphor of sorts. The house I framed and got ruined is my life and I’m in the middle of the rebuilding process. Maybe neglect was the problem, maybe something else was to blame, but whatever happened made a mess.

I’ve been thinking about neglect. Neglect is sort of a weird concept. Because It is something that happens when we do nothing. Neglect isn’t something we “do”. Something that we “didn’t do” is all that is required. Neglect happens all the time. If we let down for a moment, neglect starts happening. Gradually at first but eventually it leads to chaos. Neglect causes little issues to become big problems. Neglecting things is foolish, not neglecting things is necessary. 

Actually, there is a “law” about neglect. It is called the second law of thermodynamics. It deals with entropy which is defined as “a gradual decline into disorder.”  In layman’s terms, it means everything eventually falls apart. A good example is your lawn. If it is neglected, it turns into weeds. Or your car which will turn to rust without maintenance. That happens to everything. Our lawns, our cars, our relationships, our lifes and obviously our roofs. A decline into disorder is what happens when we neglect things.

I wrote something down in my notebook a couple weeks ago. Here is what I wrote: “I don’t want to neglect the gifts that God gave me, I don’t want to neglect the commandments God gave me, I don’t want to neglect the purposes He has for me.”  Man, I don’t want that to happen. Along with that, this thought was floating through my brain, neglect happens when I do nothing. That is a powerful idea for me. Neglect happens when I do nothing. 

I’ve always taken for granted the gifts that God gave me. I used to think my “gifts” were mainly due to my efforts. But now I realize God gave them to me. My efforts are important for sure, they nurture my gifts and cause them to grow.  My efforts, or the lack thereof, also causes neglect. 

I’d also been thinking about what some of you have said, that I am a gifted writer.  Am I a gifted writer? Maybe back in the day when the words were easy, but today, I’m not so sure. I’m struggling a bit with the idea that I am a gifted writer.  Hmmm, a writer with aphasia sort of feels oxymoronic. I don’t know, but I know this, neglect happens if I do nothing. Rather than neglecting God’s gifts, God’s purposes for me, and God’s commandments, I want to cherish them.  

The house I re-framed was a big job. But eventually it was rebuilt, and it actually ended up pretty primo. The “house” I’m reframing now, it’s a big job too. I’m planning to work on it for the rest of my life. I have to. If not, neglect will eventually eat away everything I’ve built. But if I don’t neglect it, I’m hoping for something pretty primo.