#394: SPOTLIGHT: Bill Cummings
#394: Bill Cummings
July 16, 2024
A Backbeat of Community
Question for Bill:
Does one person first come to mind: In your very very first “adult” job -- when you were perhaps first out of college or over the age of 21 let’s say – is there someone that pops to mind who brings a smile to your face not because of anything in your specific relationship but just because of who they were or how they moved through the world?
Bill's Response:
My first “adult” job was at a community development non profit in Allentown, PA, in the early 90s. As I reflect on those years, my coworker and friend Jay is the first person to come to mind.
Jay’s birth name was "JW," and he grew up in rural Northern California. He often shared stories about his childhood, like how his family couldn’t afford toys, so he would play with a spark plug, pretending it was a matchbox car. I often called him "MacGyver" because he could get out of a jam if he only had access to chewing gum, a quarter, and a piece of cardboard.
Jay was a bighearted person who moved through the world with joy and kindness. Much of our work involved planning and facilitating activities for children and families in low-income neighborhoods, and Jay always brought a sense of genuine joy to this work.
If you’ve seen the movie Patch Adams, you can imagine the kind of person Jay is. Several years ago, I visited Jay while I was in Allentown on a business trip, and he seemed to be living his best life. He was running a small technology business with his son and enjoying his three grown children and several grandchildren.
Through my time working with Jay, I learned the importance of taking time to get to know people and listening patiently to their stories. He never seemed in a hurry and always valued people over tasks. I’m smiling now as I’m writing this, thinking about the years we worked together and how he modeled a way of life that has shaped my approach to life and how I see the world.
I suspect Bill would love all direct responses from you. I find it incredibly encouraging when I hear from any of you after I share my thoughts. It is powerful for me. I assume many others have a similar experience. So here is Bill's email… pip
Joe’s thought…
Bill, your words reminded me of the value that joy and kindness have in the world. People like Jay who "move through" and into one's life, touching something at the core of who they are as a human. The simplicity of listening to a person's story can, and often does I feel, create a bond between two people that strengthens the fabric of our collective web. Thank you for reminding me of the significance that relationships have in my life.
- Joe Bruzzese
