Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Good Bye Mary Anne - R.I.P.

Hello to everyone,

It is Wednesday and another Beautiful Summer HOT day. Of course I am at TCC working but wish I was home and in the bed. I did not sleep much last night at all.

I received some tragic news about a friend and old employer on Tuesday. Mrs. Mary Anne Blake died on Monday morning in a car wreck. For those of you that have known Amy and I along time, you know that we worked for the Blake's for several years and even lived and worked on their farm in Chelsea for awhile. Of course there where ups and downs of our relationship with the Blake's. But over the last several years, I had gotten to see Mrs. Mary Anne as I went in and out of Shelby Hospital ED and had renewed a friendly relationship with her and always enjoyed seeing her when I walked in the door there at the ED. So I was with sadness that I took the news of her passing. I will continue to pray for her and her family. My grief is with Dr. Blake and her two daughters and family.

The last couple days have been very busy for me around the house. I have worked on outside projects to the point of exhaustion. But as you know, I love a project and don't ever know when to stop till I am about laying on the ground. I did stop yesterday afternoon in time to spend a little time with Amy and Hunter and have dinner and a movie. I know have a couple days of work here and tomorrow at Care. Friday is a family day out and then back to work again. I of course will do my best to blog on Saturday when I return to TCC. I then change to nights for two weeks and have several shifts for Care next week.

I do want to make a quick note as a follow up to my last post. I received a comment from "anonymous" and thank you for your input. I do have concern that you do not know me very well to tell me that I am two faced and one sided. I don't think you can find anyone that tries as hard as I do to be impartial and open to comment. I usually speak my opinion on a event or situation freely and with out regret. I believe that it is right to say what is correct and be objective all the time. There are times when you have to know when to speak and when not to, but to lie or deceive is never the right way. So I do take offence to being told that I am two faced. I do have some deep friendships within the department and therefore do have an opinion of my own. But even my deepest friend will tell you that we have not always scene eye to eye and agreed, but have talked it threw and came to a understanding. As far as being told one side of a story or whatever you refer, I have listened to all for several years now and if you open your eyes and ears, the division will hit you square in the face. Is one side right or wrong is not for me to judge. I do have to decide where I stand on issues as I see them, and at that point make a decision. I do know that we have lost some good people due to the personal feelings between parties. If we all were to stop and just talk, we can work threw all the problems going on. I do have my opinion as you do. But that is our right to make. I feel that you have your mind made up on issues and for some reason feel that I am a threat. I AM NOT. I joined the Fire Department 11 years ago to serve the people of Sycamore due to my training as a medic and as a professional firefighter. I have not enjoyed it for a long time but tell myself that if I can help just one person in need with the skills that I have, it is worth the pain. Everyone at the department has something to give. New or Old. I do not like the comment about maybe needing to get rid of the Old to make room for new. It takes the Old to past the lessons learned and teach the new. I still learn from people all the time. Sometimes it is an old timer telling me something they have learned in the past, sometimes it is a young person telling me of a new improved way to do something. Just Saturday, as we all sat in the department during the wait of EVOC, I learned several things (some personal and some professional). But I also learned a lot about the division that I feel is the problem and heard things that bothered me greatly. Then that evening, you yourself saw that the night started with a division of parties , but got better as we relaxed and had fun. We can get along and have a great department. It is up to each of us to decide that we want to accept that we are all different and have different opinions, but are still a family. I don't know about your family, butI promise that even my personal family do not always see eye to eye, but still love one another and find a way to forgive. I am sorry that you feel the way you do and hope that it can all be worked threw. If you wish to talk, please feel free to get with me and we will work out a time to talk. I do not wish for my personal blog to become a forum for this type discussion. I use this blog for my personal thoughts on issues that I wish to share with the world that is getting to know who Jeff is and feel that a feud or misunderstanding can be addressed in a more productive way. I do feel that I know who "anonymous" is, but since you choose to not identify yourself, I felt that I should address the comment. You can always go to my e-mail link to the right column and send a personal message to me and we can continue to talk. Again, I do thank you for the comment and feel that I understand some more know that I did not before.

For you that read this and are not part of Sycamore Fire. I do appoligize for the personal manor of the last couple of post. But I do feel that it is a part of my life and there for addressed.

Tell next time,

Jeff


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Jeff, I have nothing to hide on who sent the last comment on your last blog, unlike some people. I just had to use anonymous, because I do not have a google id to use..No excuses here.
But, One thing I don't understand, is if you and/or someone else thinks its the new with the problem, Why? did you say you have been hearing this problem going on at the dept for years, in your last blog? That must mean its an old problem and you actually agree with it.