Pink Hill VFD - Giving Thanks

To all my friends at Pink Hill VFD, thanks posting this! This holiday season, be thankful not only for your family but for the people who save your life... especially when you're the one who's done something stupid (usually my case).

When the tone goes off at 1:00 in the morning or anytime, a medic, volunteer firefighter, EMT, or rescue person is startled awake, jumps out of bed, gets dressed, and is en-route. Regardless of the hour, the weather conditions, the holiday or event - when needed, they promptly respond. Put this as your status for a while, if you are an emergency responder, know one or if you love one!

Well, I loved one once and I know a few, so I feel like I should definitely re-post this on Facebook, however their lovely character limit got me. Yay! So now, I'll put it here and actually write how I really feel, or you can just read my last blog post.

What the emergency responders do is beyond me. I could never see the pain they see. I could never touch the lives they touch. And I could never tell a mother her child is dead, yet they do that every day... with little to no thanks for what they do, the lives they've saved, and the people they've touched.

You just go about your life, assuming that if something happens they'll come save you. How many times have you gone to the ER almost dying? How many times have you been in a car accident and someone was there to save you? How many times have you thought about the brave men and women who risk their lives for you? How many times have you ever wondered what their names are? Well, today I think it's time to be thankful for them.

 

Lessons Learned

So I obviously I can't sleep and with it having to do nothing with this blog post, I figured why not go ahead and make a post! That sentence made very little sense, but whatever...I'm running on very little sleep. I hope that this post makes some sense.
Earlier today (technically yesterday) I was talking to my friend about some lessons I had learned while dating Taylor and how they had really been beneficial to me. I feel like I need to share those lessons here, mostly because they fit right into where I want to be now with Andrew, yet I don't have the kahunas to actually tell him all about it. Enjoy the lessons :)

Honey, that's what firemen (or in my case right now, military men) do. They get out of bed in the middle of the night and go and save someone's life, at risk of their own. And their wives sit at home and worry and pray that they come back in one piece. That's just how it works and it's hard, but you can't stop him from doing what he loves.

Being able to do things for the two of you, make the decisions, make the moves and be the man of the house while he's away, makes you strong enough to be a fireman's (or a military man's) wife. Yeah, it's frustrating and it's hard and it sucks but you do it. You do it to be with him. You do it because you want to be with him. You do it because you love him. You do it because there's no one else to do it and you're a good woman who can do it. You can provide and stand on your own two feet. You might not be truly "independent" per se, but you can run the house without him having to be there. 

You support him because he's the one who needs the support because of his career choices and yeah, sometimes you'll need support too and he'll be there, but what about when he isn't? What if he's out fighting a fire? Or saving a life? Or fighting a war? You've got a support network built in - friends, family, church, neighbors, loved ones. That's what women do - they network and rely on each other for support - where men don't normally rely on those kinds of relationships. They rely on us, their wives and girlfriends.

So then what happens when you're both stressed out to the max, things are piling up and well, you're both getting cranky? It's time to use two of my favorite words "Screw That" and then just relax and enjoy the time you have with each other. You simply have to make time for each other and not be ready to claw each others eyes out at the smallest hint of a disagreement. Don't let the small details get in the way of the big picture. If you truly love each other, time, distance, and a little petty items won't matter. All that does matter is you and him and love.

Enjoy the quiet moments and if you don't have any - MAKE THEM. It doesn't matter how big or small your quiet moments are, but it is a requirement in any and every relationship. My personal favorite quite moment, sitting around a bonfire roasting marshmallows. Cheesy, yes. But it works just fine. It takes you away from life just long enough to make you realize you need to slow down and appreciate the little things (plus you get a tasty treat!).

Anyways, I doubt Taylor even knows he and his mom taught me all of those wonderful things. I wish I could tell them both how much I appreciate it.

I also wish I could tell Andrew these things that I've learned and how I've signed up for this program. I signed up on day one when I invited him out on a date and he said yes. My signature has not been revoked...yet...and I don't want it to be.