For Jake

I met Jake when I was working in Minnesota at the Monticello Nuclear Plant in the spring of 2011. I hadn’t worked in 4 months. I was pretty desperate to drive 16 hours from home for a job. The day I arrived there was a blizzard. Three months later on the day I left, there was a tornado. But in between I met two people who would become very special and important to me. Gwen’s story will be another time; because today is about Jake. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I was rooming with Lee from my home local and he was rooming with a guy I knew from his home local in Oswego. We bumped into each other in the hall. After a few minutes of “What a small world” chat, we decided to play cards and drink in our room since it was bigger. Within minutes, I could see that Jake was intelligent, funny as hell, and just an all around good guy. We had the weekend off and I had decided to go into Minneapolis for a labor rally that was scheduled. Jake jumped at the chance to go, but the other two had other plans. So we met early the next morning. I liked the way he had no problem that I was driving. I also liked that he was considerate enough to bring me coffee. We talked like we had known each other forever. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We were early for the rally which was taking place at the Capitol Building. We wondered inside and somehow joined a tour group that taught us some of the history of this beautiful building. We went out to join the rally, looking to find other UA members. As usual every one of them would look at Jake and start talking to him about the political aspects of the rally. Jake would laugh and point at me. “You should be talking to her. She’s the one who knows what is going on here.” For the rest of the time I knew him, he would always have my back like that. He is one of the most supportive of his union sisters I have ever met. After the rally we stopped at a local restaurant/microbrewery where we had great food and lots of laughs. They let us tour the brewing room with all its very cool stainless piping. One more stop had to be made when we saw the sign for “Aliens”, a theme bar that was divided into adult/child sections. I’m not sure which one we were in, but Jake loved it all, especially the “live” Aliens wandering around. As we finally headed back to our rooms, Jake looked at me and said, “Thank you, I want to play with you every weekend!” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Naturally we were put on opposite shifts, but still got together once or twice a week to just talk. I met his parents when they came into town. I really felt like I had acquired another brother, not just union, but family. Over the next few years, I worked with him often. I got to meet his wife. I felt like I already knew her because Jake talked about her all the time. That and his kid’s activities were his favorite subjects of conversation. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Today, I learned that he had died in a freak accident on his way to work to support his loved ones. Driving down a dark country road, he ran into two horses that had gotten loose from a local farm. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His life was too short. There was so much more he wanted to do. He loved his wife, his children, his union, and his country. All of us left behind will ache for his smile and his kindness every day.

Loss and retirement

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side, spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until; at length, she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Then, someone at my side says, "There, she is gone" Gone where? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast, hull and spar as she was when she left my side. And, she is just as able to bare her load of living freight to her destined port. Her diminished size is in me -- not in her. And, just at the moment when someone says, "There, she is gone," there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And that is dying... Death comes in its own time, in its own way. Death is as unique as the individual experiencing it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My older cousin, Cheri passed away this week. She had struggled for over a year with the pain and knowledge that cancer was going to take her away from those she loved and who loved her. Her sons and siblings; her grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins would no longer see her smiling face or hear her happy voice. As I sat in the chapel and listened to that poem by Henry VanDyke, I found myself hoping that when she reaches that other shore she finds a warm welcome, freedom from pain, and love waiting for her in the arms of her parents, grandparents and all the others who have gone before her. This life is but a short stay in the larger adventure that awaits us all. So I will try to be a little kinder to those around me, to say I love you more often to family and friends, to spend more time connecting with people and less time wrapped up in my own little world. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On the way home from the funeral, I stopped in at the Union Hall. I had not seen it since we moved at the beginning of the year. As usual, my business manager, Greg treated me like a queen; plying me with food, drink and gifts. Despite being busy, with his phone ringing every few minutes, he spent over an hour talking to me about the job and my plans for the future. He seemed disappointed that I wouldn’t be running for Recording Secretary for a third term, but I know he understood. I need to retire while I am still healthy enough to enjoy life. I need to be able to visit family and friends before it is too late. Losing Cheri made me re-focus on what is important to me. I want to see as much of this beautiful world we live in as I can. I want to spend time laughing with and loving my family and friends. So that is my goal~~by next year I will have be able to work less and live more. After all, I need something to write about!