Thanksgiving, Part Three: Clara

Thanksgiving, Part Three:  Clara

Back in the spring/summer of 2012, Megan and Joe became affiliated with a group called “Guiding Eyes for the Blind.” It is an organization that provides service dogs to those in need. They breed the dogs with the finest temperaments, hoping for the greatest possibility of sweetness and success. Most of the dogs are pure-bred Labradors, either black or yellow.

The kids learned all about Guiding Eyes’ procedures, thought it sounded like a wonderful organization, and volunteered to foster one of their puppies. Megan and Joe had to be interviewed and qualify for that job, committing to a year-and-a-half of puppy shenanigans, weekly training sessions, care, love, and finally, releasing the dog back to Guiding Eyes for the final intensive finish.

Todd and I questioned her. “Do you really think you could raise a puppy to the age of 18 months and then let it go? Isn’t that going to be really hard?”

And she replied, “Yeah, it will be hard, but just think how awesome it would be if the dog does well and makes it through the program – it will go on to really help someone who needs it.”

So in August of ’12, at the age of ten weeks, ‘Clara’ came to live with them. She’s a heart-breakingly beautiful yellow lab. The kids lived up to their obligations and took her for all of her training sessions, made sure she got good care and love. They learned so much about raising a dog. The program insists on completely positive reinforcement, never saying “No,” always using diversion. At first the kids wore a pouch around their waists which held a portion of Clara’s daily food allowance. Whenever she did anything remotely good, she got a reward. Before you knew it, she was always right there by their side. Todd and I met her last October, when she was four months old, and she was already doing well then. Here she is, in her bandana...

                                              Joe, Clara (4 mos. old), Megan

Because the training is specific and intense, if Megan and Joe needed to travel, another Guiding Eyes family took the dog for the duration. Likewise, they ‘sat for’ a number of dogs throughout the year. It was actually a good thing for Clara to be with other people from time to time, since it wasn’t technically their dog, but the program’s dog.

Clara is almost 18 months old, and the kids got notice that she’s nearing the end of her stay with them. At first they were told “January” as a departure date, but then it got moved to “mid-December.” When Todd and I were out there over Thanksgiving, Megan asked if we’d like to attend one of the Guiding Eyes graduation ceremonies. It wasn’t for Clara – it was just a ceremony so that we could see the complete cycle of how the program works. The four of us went.

Once a dog enters the program, it could become a seeing eye dog, or a dog that senses seizures, a companion for a child with autism or another issue, a companion animal for the elderly, some have even gone into government work. Their path is unknown until they can be evaluated to see its strengths and weaknesses. For Clara, time will tell. But for the dogs that were graduating on that November Saturday – oh my… they were going off to live with their new ‘people,’ all of which were blind.

It started out with a slide show, and the first song was Jack Johnson’s version of “We are gonna be friends.”  As the images flashed on the screen – the puppies with their trainers (the work Megan and Joe have been doing), and watching the dogs grow, train and work – My eyes already started to water. I reached into my coat pocket to rummage for a Kleenex. Megan, who had been told how emotional the day could be, handed me my very own plastic package.  

The presenters spoke about Guiding Eyes, about what happens there, about how this group that was graduating had been working with their new people for about three weeks. What an amazing pairing this is – seeing eye dog to blind person – personalities mesh, trust and love are built.

When the speaker thanked all of the devoted puppy trainers, explained the unselfishness of their actions – to raise a puppy, knowing it’s not their own for this very high purpose – a little sob actually escaped me. Megan’s initial words came back to me… “Yeah, it will be hard, but just think how awesome it would be if the dog does well and makes it through the program – it will go on to really help someone who needs it.”  I really saw that that day…

The trainers who had raised the puppies hadn’t seen the dogs at all during their last intensive (approximately) six months of training, but many were there to watch the dogs graduate. As the trainers went up to be acknowledged, as Megan and Joe might do someday for Clara, they couldn’t take their eyes off of the dogs they’d raised.  When the program ended, the trainers could go up and greet the new dog owners, say hello to the dogs they’d raised, and get a picture together. The dogs remembered the trainers, each so happy to reunite – like old pals after a long separation.  One woman that the kids know has already raised eight puppies for the Guiding Eyes program. She’s presently on her ninth.

Later, we took a tour of the facility. We met some older dogs, and some puppies too.  I was glad that Megan had thought to invite us – not only is it heartwarming to witness what happened that day, but it’s also good for Todd and me to better understand what she feels so passionately about.

                         Clara on a Rhode Island beach with Megan and her Uncle Tony

We hear a lot in this world about the negative – about robberies and muggings, about mall violence and worse. But I really wanted to share this story with all of you because there are sooo many good people out there in the world, just doing what they think they should, living their lives every single day for the betterment of others. These stories really need to be told, don’t you think?

Todd and I felt privileged to have attended the ceremony, and felt proud of the work that Megan and Joe have chosen to do.

Oh, and by the way, rumors are already circulating – something about another puppy joining their foster home in February…?  Only time will tell.  J

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference.” For more information, go to her website: www.katiekolbergmemmel.com

Thanksgiving, Part Two - But what did you Dooo...?

Thanksgiving, Part Two:

On Wednesday, Todd and I wanted to visit a winery, so Megan and Joe planned for us to visit two. One we’d been to before, and love. They pair their tastings with various cheeses and chocolates. It’s always fun to see how the flavors complement each other. The second winery was new to us, and had a fun little store attached. There’s nothing like wine-themed gifts for certain women on my Christmas list… ;)  For dinner the kids suggested the “Great American Pie Company.” If we went during the Early Bird Special (4-7 p.m.) we’d get our whole dinner (which Megan refers to as “comfort food” – chicken pot pie, shepherd’s pie, meatloaf, turkey, mac & cheese, etc.) plus a soft drink, plus a piece of pie/dessert for only $12.99. Sold! The food tasted great, and I’d agree with her – “comfort food” indeed.

Waking up on Thanksgiving morning with our daughter in the next room felt nice. It had been four years since we’d spent that holiday with her and Joe. A few weeks prior to us being there, she’d asked if we wanted to go to NYC to see the Macy’s parade. We attended and watched her march in it in 2004, and knew the 12-deep crowd sizes, etc. so we said we were okay watching it on television. She said that the dog would also like that decision. I was actually looking forward to a laid-back traditional day. When our two kids were younger, Todd always stopped at Cinnabon before Thanksgiving, and picked up cinnamon rolls to eat while we watched the parade. It was cute to see that they had arranged to make some cinnamon rolls for us, to carry on the tradition. We “Facetimed” with Tony (Lesleigh had to work), and wished him a Happy Thanksgiving. Megan carried her phone all around the house, showing him all of the pets (there are three) and told him what was new with each. Crazy town… J 

It was also nice to see Joe and Megan work together in the kitchen. Each had certain recipe suggestions. Unlike me, who has all of my recipes in old books and on tattered pieces of paper, they each have theirs on their phones. They conspired on the best way to baste the turkey, cover it with tinfoil, make side dishes, etc. Neither phone dropped into the gravy (that I know of…)

Megan and Joe moved to the east coast in 2010, less than two months after their wedding. It always meant a lot to me (as a mom) when their new friends/friends’ families invited the two to their own holiday celebrations. Even if 98% of the time you love your life and living arrangements, there’s something about “the holidays” that has the ability to make you feel lonely. So I was glad that they always were offered somewhere to go. Likewise, this year the kids invited a young family over for the day. They couldn’t get back home to Michigan, so they spent the day with us. It was funny to watch the Packers/Lions game, exchanging old memories of holiday games gone by. Of course the Packers didn’t do very well this year (sigh) … Oh well… The couple had a four-month old baby, and he was fun to oooh and aaah over for a while. Good company, good food, chilled wine – all in all a great day.

On Friday we took a little tour - saw where Megan works, and met a couple of her friends. We’d seen Joe’s workplace on a previous trip. The four of us went to see the Hunger Games movie and we all thought it was good – possibly better than the first. I read the whole series a while back, and it was good to have that memory, without it being fresh. That way I knew what was happening, but didn’t keep comparing the book and movie. If you’re interested, definitely go see it. Since it was Black Friday, we braved (dun dun duuuun) “the mall.” It was already 5:00 so we thought the crowds may be down a bit. There was a steady stream of cars/headlights and still seemed very busy, but we found some open parking by the Sears store. Todd loves Sears, so he didn’t mind strolling through. (You’ve heard of tip-toe thru the tulips? Well this was tip-toe thru the tools) (get it?)   ;)  The mall had just opened a Red Robin (Mmmmm) so the four of us each had a beer and a burger, and shared some good conversation.

One of our main reasons for going to the mall was to shop at the Hallmark store. Megan loves the “Willow” figurines, and as a Christmas gift, we wanted to add some pieces to her Nativity set.  No kidding – we were standing there looking at the Willow Nativity when all of a sudden a male store employee came up and said, “We have to close our store – there’s a fight in the food court.” Weird… So the four of us just sort of stood there as the two employees figured out what they should do. When we finally stepped into the mall, a woman walked by very fast, saying that there was a big fight in the food court and that someone had fired a gun. She was heading for the nearest exit – which wasn’t a real exit, but an emergency exit. Wow, was it strange for the four of us to follow her group down that long narrow hallway, looking for the door to the outside, not knowing exactly what had happened. When we got outside, there was a mass exodus occurring. Many stores and restaurants ushered their customers out. Since we’d parked on the opposite end of the mall, we passed by a lot of the chaos on the way to our car. As you can imagine, it felt eerie, we felt apprehensive and scared, and also very disappointed. Megan said it best, “What is this world coming to?”   

As Joe navigated our car from the mall’s mayhem, squad cars and ambulances squealed into the lot. Megan and Todd both tried to find information on their phones as to what had just happened. Later, as we watched the news from the safety of the kids’ living room, the reporters said that no gun had been used at the scene. Yes, there was a fight, and fifteen people had been involved, but no guns…  

What a strange night. I’ll never forget it.

Tune in soon for Part Three, Clara the Foster Dog. It’s an interesting story. 

God’s Blessings!

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of “Five Fingers, Ten Toes – A Mother’s Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference.” For more information, go to her website, www.katiekolbergmemmel.com  

Thanksgiving, Part One - Getting There is half the fun?

Before beginning this entry, I glanced back at my list of posts, and realized I haven’t blogged in over a month. What? That can’t be right! With all of the thoughts that fly through my head on a daily basis, how is it I haven’t written them down in 34 days??? But then again, it’s been a hectic time. Ye old blog counter does not lie, my friends. All we can do is move on from here, am I right? And so, that said, I am setting out to make up for lost time. By the time I’m done, you’ll all be sick to death of me and my bloggy blather. I promise… ;)

How’s everybody doing? Did you have Happy Thanksgivings? Are you enjoying your holiday preparations? Are you enjoying quiet nights in front of your fireplaces, sipping wine, gazing at twinkle lights? Or are you running around like headless barn fowl? Either way, (and it’s probably a bit of both) I wanted to share some of what Todd and I experienced over our own Thanksgiving weekend. This is considered Part One: 

A while back, Todd envisioned us driving to Connecticut to celebrate the holiday with Megan and Joe. He thought we could share the ride with Tony and Lesleigh, split up the driving, and have a nice weekend together – the six of us. But when it became revealed that the kids were moving to Nashville, Todd revised his travel ideas, fast forwarding to Plan B – Flight. After he made the plans I got so excited. We hadn’t seen Megan and Joe since April, when they came into town for a brief four-day weekend. Plus, flying would get us there in two shakes, leaving more time for our familial chitter chatter.

Todd booked us a flight that would leave Milwaukee on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., head through Detroit with only a one-hour delay as we changed planes, and arrive at LaGuardia at 11:30. Then we would catch a shuttle to a rental car and be on our way up to Connecticut. Yes, we’d arrive at Megan’s in the wee hours of the morning, BUT it would also leave four full days of time with the kids.

Plans progressed nicely until the weather started to change – and I’m not talking about the weather in Milwaukee. It all started to swirl down in Texas. Then it started to move its way east. Then it started to move its way north. Before we knew it, there were flight delays across half of the country – no lie. And of course you know that the weather reporters had a field day with this. Here it was, Monday of Thanksgiving week, people traveling via all modes of transportation, and the media had a weather situation to talk about. They showed piles of snow in some states, cars flipped into ditches, freezing rain in other areas, vehicles sliding sideways into other cars… (sigh) I must admit my blood pressure began to rise. I think the elements can be rather scary!

Look, I know I have no control over the weather, and I know that Todd and I were only two of the “millions” that would be affected by whatever was coming.  I found that I had to stop watching the news reports because they only served to rev up my mood into an extremely negative place. Because, you see, I hadn’t seen my daughter in seven months, so I really just wanted/needed to get there, and deal with ‘whatever’ another day (sort of a denial, fiddle-dee-dee thing). In my mind, this had to work out, you know?

Of course Todd, Mr. Practical, was wielding his “It is what it is” philosophy, and of course he was right. It simply came down to this… either we’d fly or we wouldn’t. The airlines and other powers-that-be would decide. So I did what I could – I prayed about the situation. I asked God for safe travel for everyone over the highly-traveled holiday weekend. I asked that somehow things fall into place so that Todd and I could still get to see Megan and Joe. I acknowledged that if we had to be delayed, that I’d try to find the good in it, and would rather be late than not arrive at all. Then, after praying, I went out on a limb and asked my Facebook friends to pray for safe travel for everyone too. More than 60 of you responded – talk about a prayer chain!

Up until 4 p.m., our flight was still on time, so we drove to the airport to see what our night might hold. As soon as we got there we saw that our Detroit connection had a 90-minute delay. Since we only had an hour lay-over, this could be a problem.

Crazy as this seems, J  I saw there was a direct flight, leaving Milwaukee at 6 and arriving at LaGuardia at 9:30. “Did you know there was a direct flight?” I asked Todd. 

“Hmmm, no, I didn’t see it when I booked the flights, or I’d have taken it,” he said.

“I know it’s a long shot, but let’s see if it’s full – maybe we could still get on,” I suggested.

Of course our gate was as far as it physically could be – seriously – it was the last gate at the Milwaukee airport. I set down my “stuff” and said to the woman at the desk, “Hey, I’m sure that your direct flight to LaGuardia is probably booked solid, but you wouldn’t happen to have two seats would you? We’re supposed to go through Detroit, and…”

She cut me off. “What’s your name?”  I told her and she said, “You’re already ON the direct flight. It leaves in 40 minutes. Be ready to board in 20.”

WHAT??? I couldn’t believe my ears. Delta (or something) must have seen the delay, recognized the problem, and thought ahead enough to ease traveler’s dilemmas. Long story short, Todd and I left Milwaukee on time, and got to our destination two hours earlier than originally planned. Though the NY airport was hectic, the temperatures were still in the 40’s, so the rain that fell was not of the freezing variety. We secured our rental car, Todd programmed the GPS (which is a whole ‘nother story – man those things are something else, aren’t they?) and headed north to New Milford, CT.

The kids waited up for us, and we were able to have a nice little reunion before heading to bed.

I wanted to publicly share this story because I know that many of you actually did pray for safe travel that weekend – and our’s was a story with a positive outcome. I truly believe that Todd and I were direct recipients of an answer.

I felt blessed...

Katie Kolberg Memmel is the author of "Five Fingers, Ten Toes - A Mother's Story of Raising a Child Born with a Limb Difference." For more information, go to her website at: www.katiekolbergmemmel.com