Colors

jason@i40.com (JasonR) — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 11:07:55 -0400

Cheryl and I have been in stunned silence since last Monday. I have tried many times to express how I feel; I just haven't found the words. Every time I try to form one thought about it, 10 more rush in. Some of them feel so tremendously selfish I chase them away. Some of them are so angry they scare me.

Life does go on. Aiden helps keep a lot of that in perspective (This week he has mastered Blue, Red, Yellow, Green, and Purple both as words and concepts. He can say all but purple, and his pronunciation of yellow makes me smile every time. I'm told that is unusual for a 18 month old.

Last fall Cheryl and Aiden were out of town and Aiden got Very sick. The E.R. Scared him (shit it scares me). One of the doctors handed him a cheesy stuffed bear with features hand drawn on it. Aiden clung to that little bear the whole time he was there. He still loves that bear, and I am very thankful to the volunteers who made it, and gave it to the hospital for them to give to Aiden. Cheryl had the wonderful idea that this might help other kids as well.

There are over a thousand evacuees here locally. They arrived Monday evening. Tuesday I took a long lunch, went to Toys R Us. Worked out a modest discount with the manager and bought 2 armloads of stuffed animals (Bears mostly, some cats) and brought them to the drop off point for the local evacuees. I realize Stuffed animals aren't going to save the world, but it may give a child something to hold on to and make them feal just a little more secure.

-Jason

Not welcome here.

jason@i40.com (JasonR) — Tue, 14 Jun 2005 12:17:59 -0400

On our way home from the park the other night, we saw some friends on their way into the Fuquay-Varina Swim Club. We had been meaning to stop by the club, find out about membership, and possibly join.

We waived our freinds, down. They had just joined that evening, and although the pool was about to close, they invited us to pop our heads in and look around. The place was empty except for us, our 2 friends, their children, and a board member of the F-V SC.

2 pools (one of them a 3" deep kiddie pool) we decided to ask about joining. The board member took one look at the three of us, and said.. "Gee I don't know.. We are pretty full right now, and if we have too many members they will shut us down in a New York minute you know. Why don't you put your name on the waiting list for next year."

We looked at each other, and then at our friends who had signed up quite literaly 10 minutes ago.. and said ok, and went on our way..

The next day, cheryl called the number, and asked if they were taking new members. "Oh yes, all this week, plenty of room".

A little more investigating revealed that it wasn't a Mistake, we were told to apply for the wait list for next year.. nor was it a mistake that they were excepting new members all this week. Just not us.

F-V is a very diverse community, it's one of the reason we moved there. I know this kind of thing happens, every day, in every town in America. I just wasn't prepared for it in my town, in my face.

-Jason

i40.com - Misc.

Colors

Not welcome here.