tripp
MASTER SHAKE
I saw this somewhere else and had to post it here. It was written by a member of our board.
How I captured the Christmas Spirit
This holiday season has brought some challenges. My life lately has been pretty darn good up until the past week. Business is rocking; kids are doing well and have normal and decent boyfriends. The whole cigar obsession thing has brought joy and new friendships. Just as I get comfortable cruising along in middle aged guy bliss…. My wife of 23 years was diagnosed with breast cancer last Wednesday. There had been suspicions on Monday and confirmed on Wednesday. Needless to say this brought a major damper on our holidays. Last Friday’s MRI completed the end of 3 days of serious friend networking to get things done quickly and by the right people. Friday after the MRI a childhood friend who is a wheel “there” called and, after he moved some mountains, gave us the “off the record” that it’s localized and encapsulated . The best possible flavor of this bad news. Lumpectomy and no spread to the lymph nodes. Not out of the woods, but early January surgery and a good prognosis for the future.
During the same week my youngest was in an accident. Thankfully, no one was hurt except for the cars were pretty banged up. Yesterday she and I went to juvenile court. The stress from Jane’s issues made this seem like a fairly minor problem to me. My daughter informed me that this was her second offense and she would probably have her license suspended for 3-6 months. Apparently a speeding ticket last summer was “covered up” by she and her mother. So I’m feeling a little pissy about things.
We are sitting in Juvenile court waiting for our turn with the magistrate. A mother and her 2 teenage children comes in and starts talking to the clerk. Making a long story short they were children of a single mother. Son had his license suspended for non-payment of a prior offense that they said they had paid. Mother was angry and finally forlorn about their inability to pay the ticket.
We go into the magistrate. Legal things get explained. Plead no contest. Get the speech about second offenders suspension. Then something happens. The magistrate starts talking to my daughter. Asks her about her life. (She lives a good life) Finds out that her accident took place during a snow storm while driving 3 other of her teammates home. Asks about grades.. (4.0), activities etc. Not really sure what to think about all this. Then leans forward, looks my daughter in the eye and says, I think you deserve a second chance. 50 cans of food donated to the food bank, Court costs of $ 100 or so, clean record until the continued hearing in March, and the violation goes away. Finishes with “Merry Christmas”. I’m getting all misty eyed and bubbling thank you’s are given by the both of us.
So we go back our to the waiting area while the paperwork is processed by the clerk so we can go upstairs to pay. The mother and children are still there. A sheriffs deputy is now there explaining there is nothing they can do and the fine must be paid. They call us up tell us to take the paperwork upstairs, pay and bring the receipt back to retrieve her license. Thought about it for about 2 seconds, pulled out the money she needed, tapped her on the shoulder an put it in her had with a “Merry Christmas. Gotta tell you it felt pretty good. Didn’t stay just walked to the elevator. When the doors closed my daughter hugged me and started crying. It was a very nice moment.
We are up at the cashier, check passes over the counter, and the Sheriff come in and says for them to return the check to me that there is a problem and the magistrate wants to see us. So now I’m feeling less warm and fuzzy. We turn around and the mother and children are there to pay their fine. She’s teary and hugging us. Back into the feeling again. Riding down the elevator with the Sheriff and he’s a piece of stone.
We get back to the magistrates offices and the clerk, sheriff and magistrate are there. Magistrate says, we have a problem. The sheriff told me what you did and I cannot in good conscience …..let you pay any court costs. We don’t get a lot of holiday cheer around here and that was a very nice thing you did. I told her she started it. Everyone smiled, more hugs, we wished Merry Christmas and all parted ways feeling pretty darn good about the inherent good in people.
__________________
___________________________________
I have had some problems of my own the last couple of weeks. My Wife had surgery, my son had what could of been a serious medical problem that has made it where he cannot be here at home on Christmas and my daughter was in a car wreck last week.
But after reading this story all my problems seem minor.
How I captured the Christmas Spirit
This holiday season has brought some challenges. My life lately has been pretty darn good up until the past week. Business is rocking; kids are doing well and have normal and decent boyfriends. The whole cigar obsession thing has brought joy and new friendships. Just as I get comfortable cruising along in middle aged guy bliss…. My wife of 23 years was diagnosed with breast cancer last Wednesday. There had been suspicions on Monday and confirmed on Wednesday. Needless to say this brought a major damper on our holidays. Last Friday’s MRI completed the end of 3 days of serious friend networking to get things done quickly and by the right people. Friday after the MRI a childhood friend who is a wheel “there” called and, after he moved some mountains, gave us the “off the record” that it’s localized and encapsulated . The best possible flavor of this bad news. Lumpectomy and no spread to the lymph nodes. Not out of the woods, but early January surgery and a good prognosis for the future.
During the same week my youngest was in an accident. Thankfully, no one was hurt except for the cars were pretty banged up. Yesterday she and I went to juvenile court. The stress from Jane’s issues made this seem like a fairly minor problem to me. My daughter informed me that this was her second offense and she would probably have her license suspended for 3-6 months. Apparently a speeding ticket last summer was “covered up” by she and her mother. So I’m feeling a little pissy about things.
We are sitting in Juvenile court waiting for our turn with the magistrate. A mother and her 2 teenage children comes in and starts talking to the clerk. Making a long story short they were children of a single mother. Son had his license suspended for non-payment of a prior offense that they said they had paid. Mother was angry and finally forlorn about their inability to pay the ticket.
We go into the magistrate. Legal things get explained. Plead no contest. Get the speech about second offenders suspension. Then something happens. The magistrate starts talking to my daughter. Asks her about her life. (She lives a good life) Finds out that her accident took place during a snow storm while driving 3 other of her teammates home. Asks about grades.. (4.0), activities etc. Not really sure what to think about all this. Then leans forward, looks my daughter in the eye and says, I think you deserve a second chance. 50 cans of food donated to the food bank, Court costs of $ 100 or so, clean record until the continued hearing in March, and the violation goes away. Finishes with “Merry Christmas”. I’m getting all misty eyed and bubbling thank you’s are given by the both of us.
So we go back our to the waiting area while the paperwork is processed by the clerk so we can go upstairs to pay. The mother and children are still there. A sheriffs deputy is now there explaining there is nothing they can do and the fine must be paid. They call us up tell us to take the paperwork upstairs, pay and bring the receipt back to retrieve her license. Thought about it for about 2 seconds, pulled out the money she needed, tapped her on the shoulder an put it in her had with a “Merry Christmas. Gotta tell you it felt pretty good. Didn’t stay just walked to the elevator. When the doors closed my daughter hugged me and started crying. It was a very nice moment.
We are up at the cashier, check passes over the counter, and the Sheriff come in and says for them to return the check to me that there is a problem and the magistrate wants to see us. So now I’m feeling less warm and fuzzy. We turn around and the mother and children are there to pay their fine. She’s teary and hugging us. Back into the feeling again. Riding down the elevator with the Sheriff and he’s a piece of stone.
We get back to the magistrates offices and the clerk, sheriff and magistrate are there. Magistrate says, we have a problem. The sheriff told me what you did and I cannot in good conscience …..let you pay any court costs. We don’t get a lot of holiday cheer around here and that was a very nice thing you did. I told her she started it. Everyone smiled, more hugs, we wished Merry Christmas and all parted ways feeling pretty darn good about the inherent good in people.
__________________
___________________________________
I have had some problems of my own the last couple of weeks. My Wife had surgery, my son had what could of been a serious medical problem that has made it where he cannot be here at home on Christmas and my daughter was in a car wreck last week.
But after reading this story all my problems seem minor.
