Community Service

After serving in PTA locally for about 15 years, I figured this was my last year of doing that kind of service for my community.  I doubled dipped a few years with Strawberry Days volunteering too.  But this week I start a new community service chapter in my life.

I was asked to sit on a citizens' committee regarding our Public Safety Building that is proposed for our town.  It was on our local municipal ballot last year, but the rush to get it a bond for the building on the ballot that quickly had some people imagining there was some nefarious business going on and their suspicions spread like wild fire and the bond issue was voted down--along with our mayor and a few others on the city council.

This committee will meet with the consulting architects and the police and fire department heads and then consider the costs, locations, option,s and needs to make the most efficient and logistically feasible choice.  I'm sure I will learn a LOT.

We are only scheduled for four committee meetings--plus a large city wide introductory meeting tomorrow night--so we will need to work fast.  I am kind of happy that the meetings are already set and we have a time limit.  Otherwise people get in their heads this is the most important thing EVER and meetings last forever.

I'm happy to serve my neighbors and friends here.  I don't think I know anyone else on the committee, so I have many more potential friends to meet.  I do like our little town and I know that when we serve each other every is blessed.  Wish me luck!

Not Even Once

Yesterday there was a report on the news of a two year old killed in a car accident when the minivan his mom was driving hit a deer on a stretch of highway about an hour and half south of us.  This little toddler was crawling from the back seat to sit in his 13 year old sister's lap in the front seat.  He didn't have his seat belt on.  He wasn't in a car seat.  He wasn't killed by flying through the windshield.  He was killed when the air bag deployed.

It is so sad, and was so incredibly preventable.

When The Boy and The Girl were little I had to wrestle them into their car seats.  Houdini Boy was pretty good at worming his way out of his chair after a while.  Sneaky Girl liked to pretend her buckle "clicked" when really, it didn't.   It was nearly a warzone in the car. There were many times I didn't leave the garage without a seat belt and car seat check-point-charlie.

Did that take a lot of time?  Of course.  Did it drive us all crazy?  Absolutely.  Do I regret never allowing them out of the seats and belts even once?  Not a chance.

You hear that idea "not even once" and people make it sound like a rule is being imposed militarily and without thought.  But I am sure that minivan driving mom is wishing today she took the advice.  Militant or not.   Today, there is no going back.

I hope others can learn from this tragic lesson.  A child's safety is vitally important.  And as a parent, you can't let it slip--not even once.

And Now a Message from a Safety Mom

At the risk of being more of a Safety Mom than I already am (just ask Dear Friend Micheale's boys who have to were helmets at my house to ride the ripstick) I thought I wold share this little video today. I love the message, and like the way it was presented too. Be safe out there everyone.