Loyalty

Another fall has come to the Hoosier state. The warm temperatures are gone and the leaves are halfway turned to their glorious splendor of color. I'm feeling nostalgic and melancholy at the same time.  I tend to get a little despondent as the baseball season comes to a close for two reasons.  Number one, my Chicago Cubs have not made it to the postseason since 2008 when they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Number two, I just love summer more! I don't mind a little snow around the holidays but the older I get the more I dread the weeks and weeks of cold weather and the scraping of cars and driveways.  I would much rather be at a ball game, preferably Wrigley Field, soaking up some sun and Cubbie runs on the scoreboard!

One week ago I attended a visitation for my former old boss, D.W. Conner, Jr., OD.  He was a local optometrist and a huge chunk of my professional career was spent working for him.  We would both eventually move on to different workplaces as a result of buyouts and "housecleaning."  I continued to help him with credentialing and insurance filing setup and he, in turn, provided me with excellent references when my search for new employment transpired.  I have been told by my friends that one of my greatest traits is loyalty and I am proud to say that's true.  However, I am quite selective on who I extend my loyalty to. 
Dr. Conner was one of the few because I know he really cared about me and my family.  He attended graduation parties and my oldest daughter Laura's wedding.  Years ago, when Laura was just a toddler, he agreed to let me work part time so that I could spend more time with her at home. I lost my own father in 1985 and Dr. Conner became a father figure in his place. Thank you for showing that family comes first and foremost in this crazy world we live in.  And for rewarding my loyalty with friendship and support.  It was and will continue to be my pleasure to do the same for you and your family.

Last night I stayed up to watch the San Francisco Giants play the Washington Nationals on their home turf.  What a battle this turned out to be!!  A new postseason time record was set after it was all done-6 hours and 23 minutes! An 18-inning marathon!!  The Giants somehow pulled it out and now take a 2-0 record back home. With one more win they will move on to play either the Dodgers or the Cardinals in the NLCS.  I sure hope it's the Dodgers as I'm not very fond of the Cardinals.  Ask any of my Twitter followers.  Ha!  At one point I tweeted my displeasure about seeing more and more empty seats at Nationals Park as the game moved into those late innings.  As a long-suffering Cubs fan, I would NEVER have deserted my team like that.  Such abandonment blows through me like a cold wind.  It all goes back to the gist of this blog-loyalty.  Without loyalty, what do you have?  Not much.  No compassion.  No fire for something that drives your day.  No heart-stabbing anguish when you lose someone or something.  Whether it's a family member, friend, or even just a playoff game it is the loyalty within that drives us to keep coming back, to keep forgiving.  To keep loving and showing support for that person or team that means everything to you.  I consider the Cubs and the park they play in a part of my very existence.  When I'm having a bad day I can get pumped up over them, knowing that one day the inevitable World Series win will happen.  But what is really important is that I don't leave their side.  That I continue to defend them, just like a family member or best friend.  It's what I'm made of to a fault at times-loyalty.  Don't ask me to change because I won't.  Ever.

I'm going for a run with my girls later today.  The leaves may fall all around us but the branches of the trees will remain in their continued display of what awaits them in the spring-new growth.  May the loyalty you have for that special someone or perhaps your team resemble those branches, sometimes bending, but  growing stronger with every passing season. 

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