Actually the motel ran me, for it was a 24/7 operation but the experience taught me a lot and I was able to work out of my home which was a blessing as my youngest hadn’t started school yet.
When asked to take on the job, I could hardly stop from saying “Yes, please.” My husband was without work and our savings account was pretty low. Little did I realize that the job would take over my whole life.
We occupied the one two- bedroom unit and the rest were up for grabs. A few families lived there but mostly it was overnighters and most of them were remarkably clean and kind. The truckers especially were a good bunch, in late and out early. It was easy and fast to strip the beds, clean the bathrooms and wash the floor. No mess, no bother.
But there were other instances like what you read about in stories…folks evading the law (and the police on my doorstep with photos) and angry husbands looking for unfaithful wives. The latter involved the police, a trip to the hospital, broken glass and some very subdued men when I marched them to the office. I guess they knew better than to fool with me!
But each Sunday morning the “No Vacancy” sign went up and our family slipped down to the little church a few blocks away. Those were truly special moments…moments that were cherished, that were normal, and that brought us closer together as a family. They were our best moments of the week. Our two girls sat beside us and listened as we sang hymns. For that hour no one else could claim our attention. It was just us and the Lord.
The rest of the week was a nightmare as I cleaned units, did all the laundry, fed my family and even taught a CGIT class once a week. The CGIT girls thought it was a novelty having the meetings in the Motel.
I learned about the varieties of people that occupy this world. There was a different group living beside me every night and 99% of them were really decent…at least in the ‘60’s, in the far north, they were.
A year later my husband got work south of town and we moved and started a new life but I never forgot my years as a Motel manager. But my best memories is of the four of us, sitting on a hard pew, in a tiny church, praising God and so thankful for this one hour of special time together.
Photo by Thomas Hawk via Flickr/CC
