THE BLESSING OF UNANSWERED PRAYERS

INTRODUCTION

This is a day for celebration – a day to be thankful for the many blessings we have. But 47 years ago today, I saw little to celebrate.  Three days earlier, I had returned from New York City and was at my lowest point in the following story. Nearly a half century later my perspective has improved.  If you ever are discouraged, remember this little essay and that no dark clouds last forever.

FROM THE BOOK “LOST AND FOUND” ^[i]

The energy business was the place to be in the 1970s. Oil prices increased more than tenfold. Media, citing the usual “experts,” reported that in only a few decades the world would run out of oil. Unless the world found more oil, civilization was doomed. Finding and producing this “black gold” was the business to be in. You could be part of saving the world! Petroleum companies were advertising for workers on billboards and radio, offering signing bonuses for those willing to jump ship from a current employer. Cities that had energy companies were booming. If people had a home to sell in Houston, they just stuck a “For Sale” sign in their yard, and most houses sold in less than three days. Oil prices were going to rise forever, and prospects were bright.

In 1975 I got connected to the “oil patch” and bought into the oil-boom enthusiasm. My employer, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, was considering a rather odd investment - an oil company. It would be the biggest acquisition ever at that time. But more exciting for me would be a job in Houston, and I fantasized about becoming a “Texas oil man.” I spent 14 months in New York, Dallas, and Houston. My wife willingly made the effort to run our family with no help. But, after all that time away from home in North Carolina, the oil company boss in New York, told me there was no job for me in Houston. Major organizational changes had made many of the jobs there “redundant.”

I packed my bag, caught a train in New York City, and headed south. My head was down, and my tail was tucked between my legs. It was a long, sad trip, a bitter pill to swallow. More than a year had been invested in trying to reach a goal that was never going to happen.

Back home, I busied myself with routine tasks at the office. On my own time, I began to work on a small stock investment partnership. One of the people who oversaw the oil project was the RJR Treasurer. A few months after coming home, he asked if I would manage the RJR pension fund. I accepted, thinking it would be a short-term assignment. My qualifications were minimal, hardly more than some small experience analyzing stocks. But that was enough. A Greek proverb says, “Among the blind, the one-eyed is king.” And in a cigarette company, my limited experience was still enough to make me a “king” compared to most other job candidates. And most of them would not want the job anyway. Running the pension did not look like a job with great promise, but at least it would keep me on the payroll.

For the next ten years, all the “experts” were wrong, as they often are. Yogi Berra said, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” Oil prices crashed in 1980. The energy industry entered a steep decline, taking years to recover. In Houston, I would have been inexperienced, with no prospects, and no job network. Petroleum companies fired thousands of employees.

The oil crisis passed, but oil has steadily become a smaller part of the U.S. economy. In contrast, employee savings and investing grew rapidly in America. The pension market was the fastest growing segment of that industry, and RJR was a part of that. Its retirement assets grew, in a decade, from a small fund in America to 20 times the original size, in 27 countries.

Luck put me in one of the great growth industries of the last 45 years. And all because the job I desperately wanted did not materialize. That lucky break sent me down a path that I never expected. RJR gave me invaluable on-the-job training. Leaving RJR in 1986, I co-founded an investment company and worked there for 32 years. Personally rewarding, it was an opportunity to help people secure a better financial future and to build scores of new friendships that have lasted a lifetime - work that continues part-time even today.

Now, it is easy to see that the day my Texas “dream” was crushed, leaving me with an uncertain future and real disappointment, was one of the best days of my life.

It is sometimes a blessing that our prayers go unanswered. We do not always have enough wisdom to ask for the right things.

[i] Since writing my book, I have become friends with two fellow North Carolinians who have a real passion for writing and promoting the writings of others. I am indebted to them for encouraging my writing efforts.

Randell Jones publishes a book series of short essays submitted by writers in a competition. The essays are based on a title theme The latest in the series is Lost & Found. This story was included in the book. Randell is also an author. Included in his works are histories of Daniel Boone. Boone spent his childhood and early adult life near Randell’s home, the area where I also grew up. Please visit this website to learn more about Randell and his writing [Randell Jones]

Landis Wade is a retired attorney who has pursued his love of writing. He lives in Charlotte and has a podcast series, interviewing writers about their new books. He has authored several novels and has a story in Lost & Found.  He was kind to interview me on one of his podcasts. Please visit this website to learn more about Landis, his writing, and his podcasts. [Landis Wade]