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August 11th 1981

 


August 11th, 1981


It was August 1st, 2021...as I awaited a delivery that day, I realized I might not be there to sign for it. It needed to be signed for, though.  So, I decided what will be will be. I had no control over my not being home 35 minutes of the day. I prepped to help get my oldest up at 5:15. I knew I had to also get my run in early before any delivery would arrive that needed my signature.  


That day, for some reason our oldest bunny, Nibbles kept me up with her frantic thumping for twenty minutes at a time I was dozing off to sleep. I'd hoped for a six hour night's sleep, but oh contrare.  Nibbles dictated with her elderly confusion to grant me a mere four hours sleep last night. 


 I wondered as I lay in bed last night trying not to stare at the ceiling,  nor at the wall, could I pull off my first early morning moderately long run? Was I still motivated to bring up my best discipline, regardless of a lack of sleep? And when I finished would I be too irritably trashed, that I couldn't set up my new phone, clean the floors, do all the laundry, clean the pet areas, run a few errands, pull a weed or two out, make dinner and make homemade gluten-free cupcakes like I'd promised myself that I would for my daughters as a surprise?  


 I wondered did I still have that drive that my husband had always marveled at? I truly lacked confidence in my discipline,  and energy in the last 18 months. I'd been drained seemingly for eons. Normally I'm in exhaustion mode and just deal... but the last 18 months it was different,  it haunted me like it had from 1994-2001. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune malfunction that was never to abate via the medical field's diagnosis.  I was finally cleared in 2008.  My doctor shook his head and said, "You're the only one I know that overcame this diagnosis."  Yet over the last five years I felt it creeping back. Yet, I decided to just keep pushing,  because that's just what I've done. 


 Everyday I feel exhausted, I pray always regardless. One thing as days pass I focus on dates that mean something. Something like survival, new life, change for the better and so forth. So, the arrival of August has some incredible reminders for me. August 1st is a special day...a day of thirty years of survival,  yet life altering, shattering much of life as I had known it.


 However, August 11th, marks two wonderful positives in my life and perhaps it's affects on others. August 11th, 1981 I met my husband 40 years ago... As well my husband and I eighteen years ago, became parents on that same date, August 11th, 2003. 


 So,  as I was arriving home after dropping off our youngest at work ... I saw a UPS  truck in front my house. I was a tenth of a mile away.  I started to beep my horn like a maniac. Something I never thought I'd do for any reason. But to stop the truck from thinking I wasn't home. 


 Well, I parked behind the UPS truck,  put my car in park, looked around got out and yelled,  "I'm here! I'm here!"  It was quite the humorous scene I'm certain. A thirty Something year old man poked his head out of truck, "I'm looking for your package." He seemed in desperation.  He thought I'd be upset.  I saw this and laughed then responded,  "No. I'm just so glad I'm here now to receive the package.  I thought I'd miss you. You're fine. Take your time." He was relieved,  he smiled. 


 Seven minutes later he finds the package.  As he brings me the package I say, "Yo man it's my first new phone in seven years." He smiles. I continue,  "Guess what?" He replies, "What?" I respond,  "In twelve days it will 40 years ago that my husband and I met on the midnight shift at UPS. He passed last year, but I have to tell you when ever we see a UPS truck we would practically celebrate. I see one every day still.  And when we drove cross country for our honeymoon over 37 years ago, every day even in the Nebraska cornfields we saw a UPS package truck like yours.  So today, I just knew my husband would be in spirit with this delivery to me and that everything would work out just right." 

He replied smiling,  "That's a great story. That made my day." I replied, "That's Great. You stay safe. Have a Great day. "----Jody-Lynn Reicher



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