The other day, I was with my sister and niece and we were driving down the interstate. There was a lot of construction that was going on. I believe they are putting in whole new roads. So as we are driving along, you can see where the new road is going to be and it eventually meets up with an overpass. Except in this case, it doesn't go under it and the existing road that crosses the interstate is so high, it definitely isn't going to go over it. Well, I don't think it is anyway. I could be wrong. I have been twice in my life.
So anyway, we are driving along and my sister seems very preoccupied with how this turn off/roadway is going to be when it is finished. All I could say is that it would be fine and that we would find out when the time comes. She still seemed to worry about it. And she was driving, to make matters worse. Who cares, just drive and not think about it. Nope...she thought about it and she talked about it and I didn't have an answer for her. Poor Kathy.
To distract her, I asked her about these black things we saw on the landscaping alongside the roadway. Every once in a while, there would be what you would call a black plastic fence. Or at least that's what it looked like from where we were sitting. And they weren't just in a line. They were this way. They were that way. They were turned away from each other. Facing each other. There was really no rhyme or reason. Now I wish I had taken a picture. Or a video.
So I kept asking her what she thought those were for. Her first answer was that they were to mark where they pulled trees out. I didn't buy it. We saw plenty of trees in the same lines and where these things were set up, there was nothing pulled out of the ground. The dirt and the grass were all intact. Kathy pulls an answer out for me though. It's better than I could for her and the exit/overpass situation. Her answer was this, "I don't have an answer for you today."
Are you shitting me? Hahaha! I told her I would ask her again the next day but I forgot. So I ask you now...today...sister, what are those things and what purpose do they serve???
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Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing.
I am trying to raise bathroom supplies for the mission again. I will do clothes again in the fall but this time, just bathroom supplies. Toilet paper being the main thing. Tampons, shampoos, soaps, you name it but definitely the toilet paper. I am going to be putting up flyers in some communities so we can get a big load of stuff to donate again. My house will be the drop-off location for the Fontanelle areas. Kathy's house will be the drop-off location for the Corning areas and Chris's house will be the drop-off for the Bedford areas.
I am asking you to look within yourself and think of others. It's not just a Christmas thing and it's not just a winter thing. People need help all year round. And we all know that toilet paper is one of those things that one can never have too much of.
If you feel like giving, they also could use any type of cleaners; Lysol wipes, and/or Bleach. Bedding is a huge issue for the mission also. If you have any old sheets/blankets that you just don't need or don't use, please feel free to give those. And the last thing I will mention on this subject is laundry soap. The people that actually live AT the mission need clean clothes too. And the bills roll in for this type of stuff.
It's people like you and me that make a difference in other people's lives. I thank you in advance and if you need someone to pick stuff up, let me know or one of the girls mentioned and I will make arrangements for you.
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About a year to a year and a half ago, I had written about our FNG at work. Well he is no longer the FNG and is part of our little law enforcement family. He still has his ways about him that drives each one of us crazy but who don't??? For all the problems he and I had at first, I have grown to respect him for the way he does things, the way he handles people in different situations, and for the ex-Marine that he is. (I only said ex-Marine because he hates it haha). According to him, once a Marine, always a Marine. Sorry to tell him but that's not just a Marine thing.
Anyway, his wife just gave birth to their first child not too long ago. They had a beautiful little girl and of course, he is totally in love with her. The whole time...since I have known they were going to have a baby, I have been kinda "razzing" him and teasing him but when he said they are going to have a girl, I really went to town on him.
He kinda blew it off at first, saying things like "since it's a girl, she'll really be my wife's kid" as he laughed. I couldn't even begin to stress to him how he could screw that up if he kept that attitude up. I explained to him how little girls LOVE their daddies. Well most of them. I told him how little girls will grow up to be young ladies who will, in the end, compare the love of their life...to their daddies.
Daddies play such an important part of kids' lives and most of the girls I know have a little light in the corner of their eyes that shine bright when they think of or speak of their daddy. I could not get this guy to understand it. He just wasn't having it. He couldn't see how "a manly man" could get all tangled up in the web of a daughter.
As the day got closer to him being a daddy, he was in Scheel's and saw a man with his daughter. The little gal was about 2 years old and she was standing next to her daddy, holding his hand and my Deputy thought, "cute." You know...cute, like who cares cute. But then as he got closer, he noticed that not only did this guy have his little girl next to him, holding his hand...but this little girl had on a pink camo outfit and some little boots. That's when it hit him. "Oh that is cute. I could do that!!"
So now he has a baby girl and he is totally in love with her. It is so nice to hear him respond to "How is that baby of yours?" with "She is perfect." I am so happy for him and his wife. I think they are in for a world of things they never expected and it will be so fun to hear the stories.
Thinking about it makes my heart hurt for my daddy. Sometimes I wish I could go back to that little girl in the park and her daddy pushing the merry-go-round for her. Or relive that trip to Omaha, just me and dad, doing some school shopping and visiting family. I wish I could climb back up on my dad's lap and take the pipe from his mouth and put it in mine. Like I did as an infant. I wish I could hug him one more time. Tell him how much I love him and value every minute I had with him. I wish I could reach out and touch him just one more time.
But then, I know that one more time will never be enough. I would always want more. More time. More hugs. More I love you's. More. If you are reading this and you have a daddy, hug him. If he isn't physically there, call him or text him or Facebook him or email him. Tell him you love him. Tell him you always will. Because someday you won't be able to. And it's a pain that never goes away. You will just have to learn to live with it.
I shall now be in search of my Kleenex box. Until next time...thanks for reading and I hope your day is FANTASTIC!!!
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