Other Friends Rock Too

We first met Dave and Kaylin about eight years ago. Sabrina was about a year old and Linda had an opportunity to go back to work for a few months to help her old boss through a software transition. Our wonderful daycare provider Marian, who had watched Jack in her home, needed to focus more time on her kids, so we were ,without a source of daycare. While Linda had been away from her old job, a new woman, Kaylin, had been hired. When Linda was negotiating how she could come back, she met Kaylin and became instantaneous friends. Within minutes of meeting each other Kaylin had offered her husband (who himself was staying home as the primary care giver) as daycare for our two kids. I was a bit skeptical at first. Some unknown guy watching my two childeren. Who were these people? Were we sending our childeren to the wolves? I hardly could even guess at what a blessing that offer would turn out to be. Dave is a quiet and very wonderful father and treated our kids with such gentleness and care, one would think our kids were his. Kaylin, wicked smart and extremely wise, also would watch over our two from time to time. Since then, even though we have moved from Washington to Alaska, Dave and Kaylin remain our good friends and some of the few that have remained dedicated to maintaining our friendship despite the miles. Kaylin, while we were visisting last summer, made a king salmon cake (It looked just like a king salmon) for my birthday. Kaylin is very busy, and the fact that she took so much time to create this awesome treat, is just another example of how loyal she is to her friends. Dave has an awesome talent at video production. While our kids were staying with them, he shot some movies of Sabrina's first steps and other great moments in a movie he entitled Jacks and Tyler's Dance Party. They sent us the link to it off of YouTube the other night. It came to us as we are just coming down from some of the more stressfull few weeks of our life (windstorm damage, kitchen floor being tiled, washer and dryer going out, my surgery, etc.). They has just found the old tapes, digitized them, and created a wonderfull picture of our kid's adventures that we have never seen before. It was a wondefull treat to bring a smile to us for some relief from a stressfull time. Thanks Dave and Kaylin, you indeed Rock!!!

Friends

Friend
Function: noun
Definition: a person who has a strong liking for and trust in another
Synonyms: buddy, chum, comrade, confidant, crony, familiar, intimate, pal
Related Words: acquaintance; associate, cohort, colleague, companion, fellow, hearty, hobnobber, mate, partner, peer; brother; accomplice, ally, collaborator, confederate; benefactor, supporter, sympathizer, well-wisher.

7:30 AM October 10th, twenty-four hours after undergoing surgery on my right wrist, I hear through my pain pill induced stupor,

“Dad!! There is a tree on your car.”

Stumbling out of bed and cursing the wind storm raging outside, the power is out, our four kids are in full panic mode. I grab a coat, slippers and a flashlight and confirm the worst. A forty foot birch has dropped across our driveway and onto my Suburban. The damage thankfully appears minor, but I now have an issue. One handed, no power for the electric chainsaw, wind gusting to over 100, I need help, I needs my friends.

I call Jeff P, without fail, cheerfully answers the phone.

“Bruce Almighty!! What’s Up!!”

Drugs still slurring my words.

“Jeff, I need you and your chainsaw right now”

Not a question was asked.

“I’ll be right there”

Friend - buddy, chum, comrade, confidant, crony, familiar, intimate, pal

“Dad!!”

The tone in my youngest daughter’s voice is stressed and excited.

“Dad!! There are trees down all over the back yard.

Eight to be exact along with 100 feet of fence. A quick call to our tree service netted a 9:30 AM appointment for removal of the several precarious trees hanging over our neighbor’s house. Jeff P meanwhile has just finished clearing the tree in the driveway and is headed out to get his kids off to school.

“I’ll be back for the wood later”

Jeff P heats with wood so my tree is his warmth.

Now the fence. Parts are shattered across the back yard, an eighty foot section is leaning against a neighbor’s house. I call another friend, Jeff W and quickly explain the problem.

“I’ll round up some guys and you let me know when it’s safe for us to come over.”

About noon, the hanging deadmen trees are gone, and the fence is ready to be tended to. Jeff W, Ben, Todd and James show up and get to work.

Friend - acquaintance; associate, cohort, colleague, companion, fellow, hearty, hobnobber, mate, partner, peer, brother.

Three hours later, new posts are drying in their concrete foundations, temporary wire fencing is strung. James, Jeff P, Ben, Joe, Paul, and Gary make quick work on Sunday of attaching the old fence to the new posts and closing the two remaining gaps.

Friend - accomplice, ally, collaborator, confederate; benefactor, supporter, sympathizer, well-wisher

Friends standing in the gap for one another, providing more help than just physical, making good come from a tough situation. Friends

Thank You