So for all of us or for the vast majority of us, this period of time has not been without stress, strain and fatigue.
I mean, if you live pretty much anywhere, make sure you have that mask or you don’t get in to where you want to go. I know because yesterday, I went biking and only at the end of the first leg did I realize I might want to get an ice cream cone…
Only to realize that my masks were back in the house.. I was fine but a new normal for a period of time that we must get accustomed to.
Or making sure that as much as possible we keep our distance from people. But are you like me?
I know that I tend to drift and that means without knowing it sometimes, I’m getting closer!!!!! Then I’m into the excuse me, sorry or just bolt in the other direction…. Without walking into someone on the way away from the one I drifted into almost……
Probably more fatiguing are the daily or almost daily Covid Reporting stats and while most recently the reports are much more positive, still, the reporting does create a fatigue factor.
The Political frame works in both Canada and the US are messy to say the least and if it’s not one thing, it’s another and it does become wearisome and there is the fatigue factor again.
I have been thinking about inspiring posts to encourage us to raise our eye level from where we’ve been to see that there are some things that should cause us to be excited about and for.
So I plan on from time to time writing about unsung heroes and there is no better time to start than today.
I know my friend Mike Amesse is going to beat me or bring one of his fire crews to super soak my house for this post but I couldn’t think of another person who typifies unsung hero.
My friend Mike has always loved the firefighter way. He’d always be talking about trucks and we got a lot of “did you see the ______________” and you could fill in the blank where it concerned firefighters.
I remember in 1992, Mike, my brother and another friend headed down to Virginia Beach to visit my friend Dale and on the way back, we stopped in New York City.
While we were only there for 3 hours, Mike made us go and visit a fire station. (We didn’t have our arm twisted if that’s what you were thinking)
We got pictures with the fire fighters, station and Mike was happy as could be.
But it wasn’t just a pipe dream; Mike did the work, went through the academy and became a firefighter here in Montreal.
Fast forward to last Sunday. We had been trying to connect for a while but hadn’t worked out. He messaged me Sunday morning and said he’d be over at my house in 10 minutes.
Mike had worked his way up to become the Chief of operations / Battalion chief Fire and Safety Montreal Fire Department and he is presently acting chief of the Lachine-Dorval unit.
So he pulls up and we start chatting…
But no sooner than we started to roll into conversation but he gets a call for an emergency. I said so how many times does this happen…
It just so happened that he hadn’t slept in 24 plus hours as he had been called to 2 gas leaks in different areas of the city, 2 serious boating accidents, a presumed drowning and now this new call. I asked him when was the last time he was home and it was 2 days.
Being the chief for the area west and north, he is called to these scenes to be on sight to make sure proper direction and protocols are followed and then there are the reports.
Every job has its challenges but leaving his wife and children and sometimes not knowing when he’ll be back because there are plans and then the phone calls to change those plans.
Not that he complains because he loves his job and I know that to be a fact as he communicates inspiring messages to his teams constantly which lets me know that he desires his teams get better and the only way that happens is if he continues to get better.
Mike is just one of many who do their job day in and day out with no fanfare or hoping for a marching band to parade by to shout out their virtues but he just does what he does and because of unsung heroes like Mike, our communities and cities keep moving forward.
I’m proud of this unsung hero and you now know this guy named Mike! Thanks Mike!
A Lady Named Joan!
I wish I could have audio taped some conversations I had with my friend and family friend, Joan Forde. Of all the people I have known in my life, Joan would be one to be calm through the rough waters of life, always had something warm and positive to say, and always would smile even in the toughest of times.
There were times when I would be going through some hard moments and Joan would always have a kind word, an encouraging thought, a warm hug and loving touch that would help change my mind set.
I had known Joan for many years because we went to the same church but at one point, my parents started picking her up on Sundays to go to church and back. At that time, we had 2 services on Sunday so as time went on over many years, one really gets to know a person because of proximity and more time spent gets you more understanding and appreciation for someone.
How many times were we over at her house for supper or coffee (Mom loved the coffee not me) and it was always the same; Joan could make even the hardest heart melt over time.
Joan would so many times say that God's shoulders were big enough to handle my problems so I don't need to carry those things alone; always having something good to say even when she would be struggling health wise but you wouldn’t know it.
Positive right to the end.
And this past week, Joan breathed her last breath and went home to her heavenly reward. It'll be tough on her family as they were close and all the many friends Joan has but she wouldn't want us to grieve too much if any because she is with Jesus now; her great hope!!
But we do grieve because of her life, spirit and sometimes, the unsung hero is not known to all because there is no fanfare, the bands marching but if you were to ask the many she has touched over her lifetime, they would call her a hero and will miss her greatly.
I was thinking that her virtues; kind, loving, goodness, encourager, faithful, patient, caring, gentleness, self-control are all virtues that we all could can strive for.
These unsung heroes aren't doing what they do for glory, grandeur or accolades but we need to be thankful because they help make our days, weeks, months better and we are truly better for having them in our lives!
Thank you Mike; thank You Joan!
We are grateful!!
Dave
#MotivationalMonday #UnsungHeroes #DoingWhatTheyDo #Grateful #NoFanFare #NoMarchingBand #NeededAndValued #Blog #Speaker #Unassuming #ItIsWhatTheyDo #GreatLivesBeingLived
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