(Probably one of my favorite pictures of Josh & Grace EVER!
It screams so much about their relationship without one.single.word. If you REALLY know them, you will see it.)
We love our 2nd born child, who also happens to
be our first born daughter, Grace Catherine.
Grace is seriously a 1000 watt light bulb.
She is loud and beautiful and funny and fun.
She does NOT know how to whisper.
Did I mention she is LOUD?
She lights up a room. She loves to hug
and snuggle and be around people. She is
a social child who thrives on crowds.
I cannot tell you how many times over the
course of her life we have "shushed" her in
church while she is "whispering".
She takes after her father who does not know
how to whisper either.
She will be 17 in January.
Last night at 11:20 P.M. Kyle got a call.
You know when it's serious HIS phone rings,
it's never MY phone when it's serious.
When it's serious? They call their daddy.
When the phone rings at 11:20 P.M., a parents mind
goes to hideous places instantly...
The call was answered to the sounds of sobbing
and yelling and hysteria.
I was in bed sitting up listening while Kyle
had the phone at his ear trying to calm Grace
down.
First thought: She's wrecked the car.
By now I'm worried and trying to figure out
what's going on, Kyle is trying to talk her down
and no one is making much headway.
Kyle finally said, "GRACE CALM DOWN AND TAKE A
DEEP BREATH AND TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG!?!?!"
in his best stern father voice.
(Did I mention he had Y 90 this Tuesday and
we were trying to sleep?)
After a few minutes of mass confusion, she
explained that she had taken a "wrong turn"
on the freeway coming home and was now headed
up Parleys Canyon.
It was dark. It was windy. She was nervous
and had no clue how to turn around before
Park City, 20 miles away, and come home.
If you don't know I-80 up Parleys, it can be
a pretty intense winding drive if you've
never driven it. Let alone at night in
cross canyon winds. In a minivan with no heat.
In November.
(I'm still not sure how she drove, wept
and dialed Kyle all at the same time...I'm
not sure I want to.)
The good news is that the mouth of Parleys
is 5 minutes from our house.
Kyle told her to stop at the "Ranch Exit" and
he would hop in the car and drive up and
'guide her home'.
This, in a nutshell, is "Typical Kyle."
Quite literally, ALWAYS putting himself before
everyone else.
Cancer, Y 90 and all.
He pulled on some Superman PJ's and a hoodie
and hopped in the car and drove up to the
Ranch Exit where Grace was waiting.
She made me stay on the line so no murderers
would kill her on a dark and windy night.
Because of course, there are ALWAYS murderers
up canyon roads while you're stranded alone in a
van with no heat on dark and windy nights
in November, right?
I was trying (really hard) not to laugh.
And she was trying (really hard) to stop
crying.
All of a sudden I could hear her voice change
from worried to calm.
"It's DAD!! He's here! It's my dad!!"
I let her go and Kyle got her safely turned
around and led her back to the warmth and
safety of her home.
She climbed in bed and snuggled with me
to gather herself together apologizing for
getting lost.
We giggled at the silly ridiculousness of it all
and I shooed her off to her bed.
Kyle and I had a good laugh and a sigh of relief
that both she, and the car, were in one piece.
And then we laughed twice more.
And once more for good measure.
-------------------------------------------
This story is a perfect illustration of our
husband/father. Is Kyle perfect? Nope, none
of us are. Is Kyle the kind of person who
will drop anything for anyone anywhere to help?
Yup, he sure is.
He's not the loudest, or most outgoing
person in the room. But he's the one that will
help you with anything. He is selfless and
always trying to put other people first.
Even with cancer. Even with Y 90.
Today he cleaned the bathrooms.
Last night? He drove up the canyon to "rescue"
his daughter. It didn't matter that he was
tired and wanted to sleep. It didn't matter
that it was late and cold and he really didn't
want to get out of bed and go.
A cry for help came, and he did what he
does best. He answered the call.
Without hesitation.
If he could do it?
He would. And he did. He always has and
always does. Always.
He's 4 days out from Y 90 and on Wednesday
morning (the DAY AFTER) he got out of bed to support
my niece who got married. He said he felt well
enough and wanted to support family. He sat in
the corner so he wouldn't "radiate" on anyone
and came back home to rest.
Because he's Kyle, and that's what Kyle does.
He gives little pieces of himself to anyone
that needs them. Without regret and without
asking for anything in return.
Ever.
As far as Y 90?
He has felt well so far with minimal side effects.
Fatigue and liver pain/aching that comes and
goes have been his only real complaints so far.
He is the man with the big big heart and
the radiating liver that will step out and
rescue you if you're lost in the night.
He will answer that call, crazy 16 year old
lost teenagers, during Y 90 recovery, cancer
and all.
Because that is who Kyle is.
And that's what I've got for today.
Anyone want to go for a drive up Parleys?
Grace will take you now.
Or not.
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