Tuesday, May 01, 2007
How Loud Part 2
Well, after some thought and some reflection, I have decided that being loud can be a good thing—especially if you want people to hear you. For instance: I went to Oklahoma City, OK this weekend to surprise my brother Tony. He ran in his first marathon there. It was awesome. I got to the very end of the racecourse about 45 minutes before he got there so I could encourage him as he finished the race. As he came over the last hill, I saw how tired he was but he looked good for just running almost 26.2 miles. I began holding my hands up and jumping up and down but he didn't realize it was me. He saw my dad right off but since he wasn't expecting me, he was like "who is that guy jumping up and down". I started yelling and walked out in the middle of the street and then he finally clued in who I was. It was a moment I will never forget. He got the greatest smile on his face, we hugged and jumped up and down and yelled, he hugged dad, and we ran with him for a bit then went to meet him at the finish line. It was the completion of a plan I laid out several months before when I first learned he was running in the race. (forgive my emotions....)
You see Tony, just a year and half earlier, had come up to see Mindy and I during a time in our lives that has become a defining moment. We miscarried our first child and Mindy had to go to the hospital to make sure that everything was taken care of (the polite way of saying it). I will never forget sitting in the waiting room with my brother as we just sat in silence. I am usually a very talkative person but that day was different. We had been trying to have kids for over 4 years and thought our wait was finally over. It is that moment that I began to learn that being loud is more than just screaming and jumping up and down but it can be a presence or a touch or a smile or a look of empathy (not sympathy).
I will never forget that day. Nor will I ever forget the day I surprised my brother at the end of one of his defining moments. I looked forward to it for so long...as far back as a hospital waiting room.
You see Tony, just a year and half earlier, had come up to see Mindy and I during a time in our lives that has become a defining moment. We miscarried our first child and Mindy had to go to the hospital to make sure that everything was taken care of (the polite way of saying it). I will never forget sitting in the waiting room with my brother as we just sat in silence. I am usually a very talkative person but that day was different. We had been trying to have kids for over 4 years and thought our wait was finally over. It is that moment that I began to learn that being loud is more than just screaming and jumping up and down but it can be a presence or a touch or a smile or a look of empathy (not sympathy).
I will never forget that day. Nor will I ever forget the day I surprised my brother at the end of one of his defining moments. I looked forward to it for so long...as far back as a hospital waiting room.
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