WHEN DREAMS COME TRUE
I actually lived back in an age before everybody had electronics. I remember a time when homes did not have televisions, but on Peaks Island where I grew up the fire station had a television. On Saturday and Sunday evenings we grammar school kids used to go to the fire station and watch those new exciting shows starring people like Steve Allen, Ed Sullivan, and Jackie Gleason. We sat on the trucks and around the trucks of the fire station being fascinated but the comedy and excitement of television. .
I remember those trucks. They were bright red, new and shiny. I also remember the excitement of the fire station. When the whistle blew everyone ran. They ran for their hats and boot. The put on their heavy coats, grabbed their ax and jumped on their trucks. Then with bells ringing and sirens screaming they took off from the station to go fight the fire. It was really exciting, and I remember thinking in those days that when I grew up I wanted to be a fireman.
When I was about 30 years old my wish came true. I got the chance to be a fireman as I joined the volunteer firefighters of Wilton, New Hampshire. I went to meetings, did exercises, studied about firefighting and looked forward to the time when the call would come and we would go off to fight the blazes. Early one morning I woke up at 6:45 to hear the fire alarm ringing. I jumped out of bed, noticed that it had been snowing and as much as eight new inches of snow was in the driveway, I was determined to do a good “fireman” job as I threw on my coat, ran out to the door and preceded to get my car stuck in a snowbank.
Quickly I jumped out of the car and grabbed my shovel to shovel and shovel and shovel until the car was free and I drove down the road. I slid down the hill to the highway, made a right turn preceded down the highway to make a left turn, went around a huge curve and drove into town. I went all the way to the fire station, and when I arrived the doors were closed, the trucks were inside, and not one person had answered the fire alarm which was sounded that morning to let people know there was no school. Very quietly I drove down the street, turned around and drove home hoping nobody noticed my dedication to answer the no school alarm.
Sometimes we are like that in life. We have passion, We have drive. We have interest to do things to help others and to make the world a better place, but we need to realize that not all the roads will get us to the place we want to be. Jesus did say once, “Be wise as serpents and gentle as doves." In other words know we you are and know how to get there. Learn the rules of the game before you begin to play it. Think it out before you jump in. Don’t only want to do the right thing - also make sure that the thing you are doing is right..
