Something to blog about #4

I hope that in the end I will have tied all of this together but I have been thinking of some things Thayne talked about today after the funeral of a very great man. Jim had ALS. He and Carol had been married for 56 years and it seemed that they had a marriage that fairy tales were made of. She said she had never even put gas in her own car until he got sick. He took care of her, and from the sounds of it at the funeral he took care of everyone lucky enough to be called family. And friend. Thayne worked with him in the past and they were in the same ward as us and they were truly an inspiration to everyone that knows them. I talked to her last year when they thought my dad might have ALS and she told me that they had danced their whole life together and that not being able to dance with him was the hardest thing and that for their anniversary they danced... and that the memories of that dance would have to last her until they were able to dance together in the eternities. He treated her like a queen. What a gift it is to know people like this. At the funeral were people that Thayne and Jim had both worked with over the years. One of Jim's sons said that Jim had made better every life there, every life that he touched. In the end, isn't that the whole purpose? As we left the funeral Thayne said that he had been thinking about how people come into and go out of our lives and how we are so interconnected. Sometimes people come into our lives and stay, some come and stay for a while, and some leave quickly. But everyone seems to be interconnected. We have moved all over the country, and into Canada and still meet people that know somebody from our hometown, or from our family or from work. Do we understand that we need to make sure we are the best we can be in order to lift others around us. And that somehow, somewhere, it will come back to us. Good or bad! Take for instance my sister in law Kerry. Before we met Kerry, we were living in Manitouwadge, Ontario and we met people there (in a tiny little town) who knew Kerry. My parents went to Timmins to work and met Kerry and she and my sister became best friends. My parents moved away and we met others who knew them. My parents moved back and Kerry and Shayne met and much later got married. Fast forward to now.... Kerry's dad was transferred from Canada to HERE. Of all the places in the world, he is transferred to a mine here where they live now also. The world is a very small place.

So Saturday night we had friends over playing games. Our power went off, then on, then off and on again. Thayne knew that somebody was out there messing with the power box. It happened last year and had happened several times around the area. Our neighbor lost a freezer full of meat because some kids had done this to them. Garrett was here and Thayne and Garrett took off to find whoever was doing it. Garrett is kind of a hot head! ;) So he wasn't giving up. He gave chase (and later told the kids they were lucky his brother wasn't home because he was in much better shape and would have caught them right off and then they would have been in trouble!) and found out who they were (thanks to a boy that had been spurned by his girlfriend for one of the boys involved!) and saw them messing around at the house, just one road over from us. He called 411 and asked for the phone number... the boys were hiding inside and when Garrett called the number and the phone started ringing so he called Thayne who went over and told them they could deal with us now, or tomorrow morning! :) They were scared out of their minds!!! Thayne had called the sheriff because last time they did it they caused some major damage. The sheriff was more than happy to find out who they were because this has been happening constantly in the area and they think it's the new thing to do for high school kids. They caught one set of kids who had also caused serious damage to some homes and businesses. After a visit from the sheriff, they were pretty scared and apologetic. Yesterday afternoon one of the dad's and two boys showed up and apologized. It was the most sincere apology we have heard and the dad let them know that it wasn't going to be tolerated. Thayne said he was so impressed. We had an incident a while ago where some kids (of friends') did some pretty rotten things and instead of teaching the kids how to sincerely apologize they were looking for a fight and that their kid wouldn't do such a thing. We always try to make our kids accountable when they are stupid kids... and I always figured that I would never say my kids would never do something because as sure as I would say it, they would be out doing it. They have had to eat some humble pie before but it's good for their character to have to admit they were wrong. Funny thing is, the guy that brought the kids over is a guy that rents from the video store A LOT so we see him often. The kids are Kassi's age and she knew that they were the ones that did it before and even though a couple of them lied about their names... Kass had them pegged! :) Well, this morning Thayne got to work and one of the guys came right to his office to tell him that he was sorry his kid did that! He told him that he told his kid he ought to kick his butt... no... better yet he ought to take him to Thayne and let Thayne kick his butt. He said he told him, "Of all the houses you had to do that to... OF ALL THE HOUSES!" The boy asked why, who was it? He said, "HE IS MY BOSS and I ought to let him kick your butt!" Thayne said they laughed about how it seems that no matter where you go, there are ties that connect you. I think of meeting a girl on a baby board I go to, and then later meeting her mother in law who lives down the road from me. The man that sealed Garrett and Tiffany is related to a girl that was one of my best friends in 9th grade. The world is a very small place! I think we always need to be careful because we never know whose life we can touch and how we are all connected!