Life has just been too busy lately and I can’t catch up and work is a lot of work and I get zero sympathy at home and I could go on and on…and I really, really needed my spirits recharged. It’s amazing how sometimes things just happen to fall right into place exactly when you need them…and this time it was a string of little, tiny things just to remind me to keep at it and that in some way I am making a difference. For instance, little thing #1. I’ve been working harder with one of the 4 year olds on Megan’s soccer team…she has been shy and reluctant to come onto the field and didn’t want to play…so I keep gently nudging her to join us. This past week she started warming up to me bit by bit and when it came time to choose teams for a scrimmage she came over to me and asked if she could be on my team, I said sure, and she was very happy about that and said “I love you”. It was sweet. The next day was her birthday and she came over to kind of tell me about it. It was funny when the other coach chimed in and she wouldn’t say a word to him or even really acknowledge him.
Little thing #2 – the next day at practice I stayed late to answer questions that one of the mothers had. They are from Somalia and she wanted her son to improve his skills. We talked and ended up being the last two cars in the parking lot. Sure enough…she went to start her car and it wouldn’t start. So Christopher and I gave her a jump. By the time we were finishing up other cars had started to pull into the lot for the next round of soccer games. I was wearing a coaching shirt and one of the moms came over and said there ought to be a special award for coaches that go above and beyond.
Little thing #3 came tonight at cub scouts for Christopher. The fire department brought their ladder truck for the egg drop. I wore my EPFD t-shirt but didn’t ride on the truck. I went over to talk to the guys on the truck and they said I should go up in the bucket to drop the egg contraptions. That’s always a fun job (even with storm clouds approaching in the distance – yikes) so of course I did it. Not sure if we went 90′ up or not but we were pretty high and had fun watching bags, boxes, cans, turtles (cardboard), etc go splat. We came back down and the truck left and we’re walking into the meeting when one of the scout masters walks up to me and asks if I want to do a talk on fire safety. I said – yeah, I could do that sometime – and he said “how about now?”. Gulp. So I walked in front of all the kids and parents in the troop and talked for 10 minutes about this and that and had the kids practice a fire drill and stop/drop/roll. It ended up being fun and I got huge thank you’s afterwards. Another reminder to keep doing the small things and be spontaneous – things will turn out ok.
Ok, enough blah, blah, blah. Here are some pictures. Christopher and Colleen debate who has to sit through more boring performances that the other puts on (Kung Fu versus dance performances). Not that I would ever take sides, but don’t listen to a word that your sister says about kung fu Christopher. 2 years and counting for the father-daughter dance recital. Buy your plane tickets in advance for that one!!!
We head to Rochester on Friday at noon (and head back Saturday at noon – don’t ask). Keep us in your thoughs as we drive on those busy roads. There was a bizarre accident in Minnesota yesterday. Two cars got smashed between two semi trucks – nasty, two people died. The crazy part is that the truck in front was carrying 17 million bees. Luckily only 6 million escaped during the accident!!! Fire fighters had to stay on scene for hours spraying water to keep the bees either away or calm. Glad that one wasn’t in Eden Prairie.
Little things do make a difference and sometimes a big difference. Glad you had the opportunities to boost and help others when you needed a boost. I especially liked the story of the 4 year old. Although Christopher’s coach wouldn’t agree with me, I’m all for your apprach. At that age fun is what it should be about. They will have plenty of time to be competitive.
Enjoyed all the pictures. Is that a dance trophy Megan is holding? She is the only girl looking at your camera – guess she knew which photographer to keep track of. Since Christopher is holding an egg, I assume his survived the drop. Did he use styrofoam to protect his egg? That must be fun to drop them. How many people get hit by falling eggs? Colleen is getting to be such a pretty young lady. Can’t believe she will be 10 in just a few months.
We were happy to get Megan’s news on the phone tonight. Bet she will keep the teachers on their toes. Nice talking to you and Megan.
Drive safely and enjoy your trip to Rochester. I’m glad you are able to make it down to see Grandma T. I know she will be happy to see all of you again.
Love, Dad & Grandpa
I’m so glad your family got to see Grandma T. and am glad that you had a safe trip. Sounds like a quick, but fun weekend. You know, David, you really are a special man. All the things you do with your family and with your community really do make a difference. You’ll probably never know how many people’s lives you touch and how many things you say and do will remain with them for a long time. Keep up the good work. From all the pictures it looks like everyone in Eden Prairie is happy and healthy. Hope to see all of you soon.
Love, Mom and Grandma