I noticed this morning that it had been 6 days since I last posted anything. It has been busy….
Last Friday, we had a new employee join our dispatch team at work. She has been with the City for 20 years, but they were doing away with her position, so she had no choice but to come here. It was either come to work here, or no longer have a job. She used to be a dispatcher and can type 70 words per minute, so it is a plus for us to have her here. I worked with her all day Friday, training her on our computer system. Since she used to be a dispatcher, talking on the radio was a natural for her. Because of that, my main plan was to train her on our computer software so she would be more familiar with it. She is a fast learner and has done a great job.
Saturday was the BIG day. I was up early, helping Karla get things prepared for Gayla’s graduation from high school. There was lots of last minute things to do, so we started early. The ceremony did not start until 10:30 am, but I was there by 9:30. The church auditorium where the ceremony was being held was filling up fast. We had lots of family attend the graduation, but we didn’t all get to sit together. The ceremony was nice, however, the main speaker (the head of the school) did not talk loud enough, so we could hardly hear anything she was saying. The ceremony lasted two hours, only because they spent a whole hour on giving out scholarships. I almost dozed off twice during the scholarship announcements. The good thing is, Gayla came out with two of the scholarships….and I almost missed it because I wasn’t paying attention.
After the ceremony, we went to Stephen’s apartment and had post-graduation party…..snacks, sodas and Jersey Mike sandwiches. Afterwards, I headed home and really did not do much the rest of the afternoon. Of course, I did not get home until around 3 pm, so most of the afternoon was gone anyway. I had decided to go by Lou Calhoun’s house that evening and visit with some of the family (her husband, Alan, died last week), but then changed my mind because I knew she needed time to be with just her family. I had gone by the funeral home Friday evening to view Alan’s body. It was strange seeing him in a casket, but he looked peaceful.
Sunday turned out to be a very long day for me. After morning worship, several of us went to Johnnie’s to eat lunch. After lunch, I went over to Lou’s house to spend time with the family. While I was there, I realized her yard had not been mowed for a while, so I went back home, got my mower and weedeater and headed back to her house. All of the family left for the funeral home because Alan’s body was going to be available for viewing from 2-4 pm. While they were all gone, I spent the next 1-1/2 hours mowing and weedeating the yard. Then, I had to head over to the church for a 4 pm men’s quartet practice. Afterwards, I went to the youth Bible Study, the evening worship service and then a youth get-together in the gym.
I knew when I woke up Monday morning, it would be a very difficult day. Not only was I training the new employee at work, I was going to be leaving early to attend Alan’s funeral. I did leave the office at 9 am and headed over to the church for the funeral. The Patriot Guard was there to escort the family to the church and then from the church to the cemetery. Alan was a good, Christina man who loved his family, especially his grandchildren. He had been confined to a wheelchair because of his MS, but that did not hold him back. He never complained about his handicap and he never complained when he felt bad…..he just rolled with the punches. It also did not matter what the weather was like….he was always in church. He was the head of our security at church and he took that role seriously. Whether it was raining, snowing, sleeting, windy, hot or cold, you could always count on Alan being at church. He never let his handicap slow him down. Years ago, he used to work with me on the sound board at church (which was upstairs in the balcony). He did so until he got to the point where he could not walk anymore and had to rely on his wheelchair.
The funeral was nice! It wasn’t a sad event…it was more of a celebration of Alan’s life. He had done so much for so many people and had touched many lives. There were a good number of people in attendance, which proved that he touched many lives. I was a pallbearer, so I had the honor of carrying the casket to its final resting spot. As we left the church for the processional to the graveside, I turned on all my emergency lights on my truck and followed the convoy to the Moore Cemetery (the same place where Derek, Alan’s son, was buried 4 years ago). After the graveside, it was back to work. That evening, I did absolutely nothing but rest. I had worn my uncomfortable black shoes to the funeral and wore them all day long, so my feet were really tired.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/oklahoman/obituary-search.aspx?countryid=1&stateid=46&affiliateid=293&firstname=Alan+&lastname=Calhoun&daterange=14&submit1=Search
Yesterday was a pretty good day. It was the last day I would be training the new dispatcher. I had already trained her on the computer part and on one of the radios, so now it was up to the other two dispatchers to train her on their respective radios. I really don’t mind training new employees, but when I do, they sit at my desk and I don’t really have the time to do my locates and check my emails. It throws me behind. Fortunately, she has been easy to train, so I haven’t had to keep going over things with her. After work, I went home, picked up my mower and mowed Linda’s lawn. I spoke to her briefly and found out she is going to need surgery on her wrist in order for it to heal. She doesn’t want the surgery, but that’s the only option she has if she wants to get better. She has gone through around 6 weeks of physical therapy, but it has only been a band-aid to the problem. It gives her temporary relief, but she needs permanent relief. So, it looks like I will be working her radio for at least another 6-8 weeks.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/OCFD_Citizens_Fire_Academy_Alumni_Association
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