It's Been A Good Day

Jeremy came home from work yesterday to tell me that they were informed there was going to be an "announcement" made on Friday. The company he works for makes parts for another local company, TK, who has already laid off 30 people, and just announced earlier this week their plans for laying off another 70. TK had ordered 120 parts, but when only 30 were completed, they said not to make any more. So yeah, we're nervous.

Snow is coming tonight, and lots of it. We're supposed to be getting anywhere from 6"-12", which means we probably won't be leaving the house for a couple of days. So, I decided to be smart and go to town for groceries this morning - before the snow and before everybody within 20 miles from Hastings shows up at the store after work.

The plan was to get our groceries then pick up a couple of Papa Murphy's heart-shaped pizzas for supper Saturday night. Since we ended up having about 30 minutes to kill before the pizza place opened, I decided to stop at a few places that always put a smile on my face. We made stopped at a local store to pick up a little fabric, my favorite bookstore for the 7th AoGG book, and my favorite beading store for a few supplies to help keep me busy while we're snowed in. We then picked up the pizza, and were about to head home when I remembered that we still needed a digital converter box. So off we went to KMart. What happened there made me smile even more.

I saw D. D has been my older brother's best friend for 25 years, and I have loved this guy since the day I met him (what began as me having a massive crush on him has grown into a friendship that almost resembles a brother/sister relationship). Most people who meet him don't like him. They think he's a loser and can't understand why I adore him. If I had met him at a different time in my life, I'm sure I'd probably think the same thing. D is far, far from perfect. He was a fairly good kid until high school. The doctors started experimenting with his ADD medication, and he didn't always make very good decisions. His senior year, he got his girlfriend pregnant. So, he dropped out of school to find a full-time job so he could take care of his new family.

One night, D was home alone with his baby girl, and he invited another friend, J, over to hang out. At one point, J went in to peek on the baby and noticed something wasn't right. He called for D, and it was he who saw his baby girl in her bed, not breathing. The drive to the hospital from his house should have taken at least 10 minutes. When they got in the car, there was a song on the radio (I can't remember now what song it was, but he can tell you the song and the exact words), and he got to the hospital before the song was over. Everything was done that could be done, but SIDS took her anyway. That was the turning point in his life, and not for the better.

D has had more downs than ups in his life since then, most are of his own doing, and to name them all would take a long, long time. The last time I saw him was almost 8 years ago, when Taylor was only a few months old. He had just started taking his life in a direction that was not good for me to be around, and I tried my hardest to convince him to do otherwise. In the end, all I could do was to let him know that I love him, won't judge him, and am here if he needs/wants the kind of help I'm willing to give. I've heard bits and pieces from mutual friends, and there have been times within these last 8 years that I have cried for him. He is one of the most intelligent people I know with the biggest heart, but he does his best to ignore these wonderful qualities.

I saw D today, and I got tears in my eyes again. He moved back in with his parents for now. He has a job. It's not the most glamorous (most 33-year-old men wouldn't choose to be a KMart stock boy), but it's legal. It has been almost one year (next month) that he has stayed out of jail. And, he's in rehab. One thing that I have always loved about D is that he never makes excuses for himself. He has always taken responsibility for his actions, no matter how big the mistake has been. He is also probably the most loyal friend anyone could possibly have. I pray for D every night because he has the potential to go so far in life and to bring so much goodness.

I apologize...I didn't mean to babble so much about D. It just made me happy to see him in a good place.

If Jeremy is going to be home for the next few days, I doubt if I'll be on much. I hope you all have a Happy Valentine's Day, and for those of you who are about to get hit with all this snow - stay warm and safe!