ON TWO ARE BETTER THAN ONE...

Grammy and Grampy Bell  1963

Ransford Reuben Bell was my Grandfather. Grampy was born at Beachwood, New Brunswick, right at the end of the Beechwood Dam on the Upper Kent side. There were five boys and six girls in Grampy’s family. In 1930 he moved across the lines into the State of Maine at the age of 17 with his brother Frank in search of employment. Grampy was married to Phyllis Reta Bell who passed away in 1974 with multiple sclerosis. Grampy was married a second time to Mary Lewis the General Manager of Newberry’s Department store in Mars Hill, Maine. She passed away in 1997.

Ransford was born May 1, 1913 and died May 20, 1995 in his 82^nd year. I remember him well, and recall that he was a very loving, kind, and soft-hearted individual. When I was a little boy, he wouldn't let me leave his place until he reached into his pocket and gave me a quarter, or a fifty cent piece, or sometimes a dollar bill!

Upon arriving in Blaine, Maine, he worked a job for a short time and then began working fulltime for the Adelman Brothers Potato Farm at age 18 and worked for them until he retired. One of Grampy’s younger bothers, Ronald, moved to Maine sometime in the 40’s. A little later when Grampy’s parents were unable to live alone they moved to Maine and lived with Ronald.

Grampy Bell was a hard working man serving as the general foreman of the entire farm. He also had an ingenious mind and was known to many as an ‘inventor’.  He had invented and designed a lot of the equipment for planting, harvesting and processing potatoes for the Adelman Brothers.  They still operate special conveyors and potato scrubbing machines that he created.

Me and Rudy on the Trike Grampy built

Since Grampy was an inventor, he made some pretty neat stuff! I remember we were visiting one time and he realized that Rudy, my uncle, had a trike to ride, but I didn’t.  So he said, “I can fix that!”  In no time he had Rudy’s trike cut in pieces and recreated into a “tandem trike”. Now that was special! I would definitely say, “Two are better than one!” What fun we had on that little contraption!

There are many reasons why two are better than one. One reason is because of multiplied perspective. My wife and I can accomplish so much more when we work together as a team rather than separately. Often times I may only see things from a limited perspective, but when her mind is incorporated, all of a sudden the perspective increases dramatically. It’s the same in any relationship. It could be at work or at play and even within the church.

 

Have you ever had the thought, “I wish I had just one more hand!” or, “If I just had another person to help me!” We can function individually but when we incorporate others and allow their contribution, it’s amazing the things that can be accomplished.  I think this is even more amplified in the church community because of the scripture that metaphorically says, “How one can chase a thousand, and two can put TEN thousand to flight!” Think about it in relation to prayer for example. One person praying about a need can accomplish a certain amount of result, but look how it is multiplied when a second person is integrated into that prayer. It is exponential! TEN times more effective! WOW! No wonder “prayer chains” are so powerful! No wonder things happen when we all pray together! If ONE can do good, and TWO can do TEN times more good....what can TWENTY do? Logic says, “If two ARE better than ONE, then THREE must certainly be better than TWO!”

Now here’s another thought that comes to mind. The scripture says, “And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Simply said, “A two strand rope is good, but a three strand rope can’t be broken.” Go ahead and try it with some strands of yarn. I did! I was able to break a single strand with no problem. When I added the second strand, it was harder, but I did break it, eventually. But when I added the third strand it was impossible.  I know what someone is saying...You should have let Esther try it! LOLZ!  But seriously, if you apply that to a marriage, you have a two strand cord which is definitely better than one, but when you include God in the marriage now you have a three strand rope that cannot be broken!”

I think I’ll go build a “six seater tricycle” for all my grandkids!  SRR