Vintage

Hi Bob,

My family is big into drag racing and so is my husband, Frank. In the summer of 2002, we kept running into each other…and on one occasion, he actually fixed a flat tire I had at the race track. I thought he was attractive, but stayed away due to him having a girlfriend.  Eventually, we went out…and by the fall of that year, we became a couple.

 Now something that was totally not planned or expected was when – the week of thanksgiving - we found out “we” were pregnant! (expecting).

A lot of people felt that we weren't going to last due to the brief amount of time we’d been together…plus, i was only 20 and he was 21. We had our son, Franklin the following summer.

 Now it took a while, but in 2004, Frank came home from work one Saturday, got on his knees, pulled out a ring and asked me to marry him!  Our son, Franklin, was our ring bearer at the wedding.

 It has now been seven years since my husband and I met, we have a handsome son who will be six in august, and we are expecting our second little boy at the beginning of June.

 I was hoping to hear “Livin’ Our Love Song” by Jason Michael Carroll.  Whenever I hear that song, I tear up…thinking of the strong bond and love that my husband and I share.  I never imagined dating a farmboy, let alone falling in love, marrying him, and creating the most beautiful family!

Thank you,

Cindy Myers, Southampton, NJ

Dear Bob,    

I am a grad student.  In my time outside of the university, my job is working at a pre-school, helping out kids with special needs.  And I’m someone who’d rather see a smile on their young faces, than anything in the world.

Well, in 2007, I was assigned to be a “one-on-one”.  The kid’s name was ‘Jack’ and I knew nothing about him…but on the first day of school, Jack and I became best friends.

Now Jack had a chromosome defect causing a very weak heart… so he couldn’t walk.  But soon, we were able to gain strength and by December, Jack started walking with a walker… one step… and then two steps.  By the end of the school year, he was down and back the main hallway without falling.

That summer, we continued to work together at his home… and then, that July, he was put on the heart transplant list… so every Saturday, I’d pack up and hang out all day in the hospital room.  After a few weeks, he was sent home to wait for a heart, there.  Often, we would play for hours at his grandma’s house (often using our own communication).

Then, on September 15^th, Jack’s mom called me.  Jack had caught a cold and had to stay in the hospital.  I talked to him that night, and planned on seeing him the next day.  When I got there, Jack had just died.  His heart gave out.

As school has started up again…every day after that, at work, I would be there and remember the two of us walking down that hall together… step by step… chatting it up.

I’m wondering if you could you please play “Who You’d Be Today” by Kenny Chesney… in memory of by “best friend”?  Wherever he is… i hope he’s smiling back at me.  

Thank you,
Brian Lounsberry, Story City, IA