Mississippi Experiences 4

INSTALLATION DAY! All my hard work comes down to this day. Dozens of logistical issues have been ironed out, all the equipment, goods, services, volunteers, are in place on this day. I wake after a fitful nights sleep, surprisingly refreshed and raring to go. After a quick shower, I head out the door with a cup of coffee and a banana in hand. I am greeted by a blanket of frost that coats every surface in sight. Frost in Southern Mississippi? The temperature reading on the car thermostat reads 37 degrees! BRRRRRR! After loading up my bags at 6am I hit the road for Waveland, a 40 minute drive. I arrive at the school just as the sun is brightening the clear blue morning sky. Given the multitude of things that could and may go wrong, I am surprisingly calm and very excited. Volunteers begin to arrive one by one around 7am and I am somewhat concerned because we only have about 10 people when we were expecting 25 or so. It's still early and I figure that the local residents will wander out as it warms up. For the first hour and a half, I am the only woman on site and the ribbing I am taking from the guys reminds me of my Navy days where I was more often than not, the only woman around. I am amazed by how quickly the structure takes shape. By 8:30 we actually have platforms to stand on. My friend Jill Johnston calls around then and reports that they are on their way. As I am on the phone with her I look up and two large passenger vans pull up and these young college students begin pouring out of them like ants. Holy cow! There must be 20 of them! They descend on us like angels sent from heaven. Turns out they are from Doan College in Nebraska and they came to the Gulf region on their holiday break to lend a helping hand wherever it was needed. They are lively, fun, energetic, and extremely hard working. They brought light, humor, and passion to every task. I was never able to get a straight answer as to how they heard about us and choose our project to assist but I am so thankful that they did. We couldn't have done it without them. Eventually we end up with about 40 volunteers...way more than we need, so a natural rhythm develops where folks work a bit and then let someone else step in. The Doan students make us laugh by playing football, baseball, & volleyball with pinecones and other improvised things in the schoolyard. By 11:30 the structure is 98% complete and we begin to pour the concrete. The flight Harold, Riley, & Madeline are on is due in around 2:40 and it is looking like we will be pretty much done by the time they get out to Waveland. The Seabees with their front end loader have arrived and we are ready for the engineered wood fiber to be loaded into the play area. Unfortunately they are having a problem getting it to start. It takes them over an hour to get it going so the many of our volunteers have moved on,taking their shovels and hoes, including the college kids. I have about 10 people left and quickly realize that we don't have enough equipment to spread the surfacing with. This could be a real problem. As we are loading the wood fiber into a bobcat, one volunteer says "We really need more shovels and rakes" as I reply "What we really need is those college kids back!". Then I look up to see them pouring out of the van and walking towards us. Thank you GOD! Even with our energetic helpers, it takes us nearly as long to spread the wood fiber as it did to build the structure. The engineered wood fiber is so light and fine it keeps clogging up the intake on the front end loader so they have to stop, clean it off & let it cool before they continue. Harold, Riley & Madeline arrive and help pitch in. Despite the fact that we have been hauling this surfacing for nearly 4 hours now, we still have a small mountain left and the playground is about 3/4 full. We make the decision delay loading the rest of the wood fiber in until next week. Most everybody there has put in 8-10 hours of back breaking work and the front end loader is not sounding so good. The Seabees offer to come back and finish the job later in the week. I get lots of hugs from the weary volunteers and they make their way home. Alone for a moment, I stand back and take in how beautiful this playground is and how smoothly things went. As tears stream down my face, I thank God, that Angel on my shoulder, and lean back into Harold's arms, accepting his supportive embrace. How lucky am I to have fulfilled this dream? How fortunate that I have had the time, the energy, the resources, & the skill to bring this gift to this tiny town in need? I know, without a doubt, that I was destined to do this. I know that at this time in my life, this is exactly what I was supposed to do. I could have sent a check to Red Cross, packed up blankets, or sat reading all the achingly painful web entries of those in need... but that would not have felt right. Everybody doesn't have the ability to do what I did, but most everybody has the ability to do more than what they are doing. Never once did I say to myself that I could not do this. NEVER! As you read these journal entries, I hope that among the over 130 people that I send this out to, YOU are the one I inspire. While I appreciate the admiration I have received along this journey, my true hope is to inspire people to make a difference. Whatever way you chose to do so, it fine. But step out of your box, your comfort zone, and reach out to someone in need. Don't be afraid that you will fall into a vast wasteland of charitable needs. Don't let your abilities in life be stifled by fear. I can guarantee that you will be rewarded a thousand times over for your efforts and at the end of the day when you are staring at yourself in the mirror, or right before you drift off to sleep, a tiny smile will begin to creep across your face and your heart will sing. This is what makes you a successful human being and fulfills your purpose in life.
Year's ago I found one of those inspirational signs at some store and framed it. I still keep it despite the fact it does not match any of my decor and the cheap plastic frame has seen better days. It says "Be the most enthusiastic person you know". When I found that sign, I made up my mind that I liked that idea and you know what.... I AM! Now that's the power of choice!