It was a proud-to-be-a-Dad birthday for me this year. I'm always proud of my kids as they navigate life but on my 55th it was all about the two youngest. First it started with Lauren, who's wrapping up her studies for automotive technology. So when my 2002 Silverado started signaling there was something going on with the rear brakes it was Lauren to the rescue.
"Just come after work and I'll take care of it". So a little after 5 o'clock and when the shop staff headed home Lauren went to work. Up on the lift, remove the wheels, a quick diagnosis and after a
few hours of greasy and knuckle damaging work it was done. Above are the rotors, right is bad in need of replacement, and the left, well, it was worthy for whoever came past to take a picture of it....."I've never seen one so bad". And since it was so far gone the brake line and caliber needed to be replaced as well. It's funny the brakes didn't screech and they worked fine unitl I lost them the morning Lauren hooked me up. "Now girls can do anything guys can do better"...and I'd be proud if it were one of the boys, but it's kinda cool having a daughter who turns wrenches and can help an old man out. Especially since auto repairs are as hard for me as tying up a Beast Fleye.
And then last night it was Erin's turn to make me proud. She's showing signs of being a chip off the old block with an interest in EMS and then nursing. She wants to be a trauma nurse....perfect. So last night we signed her up for her first EMT class which is being held at the Keyport First Aid
Squad. In 1990 I took my first EMT certification class, above is my UMDNJ ID from 1992, and I think it might have been 60-80 hours, now it's 240, and is two nights and a Saturday every week until May. It kinda big-girl stuff as it's her senior year and she'll have to sacrifice a lot of time and extracuricluar activities to get it done. After that is was a birthday Guiness as McDonagh's Pub and
some converation with Erin sharing my own journey in emergency service through my early days as a volunteer in the Middletown Fire Department, then Newark Fire, UMDNJ EMS and then all the various nursing gigs that I have had. In a year or so I wouldn't be surprised if she's in the nursing program where I now teach....and that would be very cool.
I also shared with her about always being ready to help. She is amazed about, "How do you always find these things?. So for Christmas Santa brought her her very own first aid/trauma kit to keep in her car when it's go time. So she's good to go to help someone until others arrive. And in the "How do you find these things?", yesterday was no different. I had just hung up the phone with Leif after a long conversation of fishing and fly tying and was heading north on Route 129 when I looked over and said to myself, "Somethings on fire over there"...
I made a left on Cass Street and then a right onto Grand Street and said, "Holy shit (no pun intended) the church is on fire". There were no cops, no firemen, only a chiefs car which headed to a different street. I was like okay game on and looked for a spot where I could ditch my truck and not
get blocked in by this soon to be conflagration. But quickly I saw it wasn't the church but the rectory which belonged to St. Mary's Byzantine Church. As these big city churches dwindle in congregation size and the schools go out of business it's not uncommon for the diocese to rent out space and buildings, and that was my guess here as I didn't see nuns or priests pouring out of the building.
So just as I thought it was go-time I heard the commotion from the opposite side of the building and then in an instant the smoke started to turn white as water shot out the top floor windows. The boys had just made the top floor and opened the line from the front door. I shared that story with Erin, and about always being ready to stop and jump in, and get to work doing good for somebody else. You can't always wait for someone else to act.
In between all of that fun I was with my nursing students during the day who are working hard to get through the program in order to be in a position to help others. There's just something about service to others, be it replacing their brakes, doing CPR, passing meds, or running through a burning building that really does the mind and body good. I got to see a little of that over my birthday, and along with a pint and a half of Guiness it was a really good day.
