Tuesday, October 5, 2010

What comes around, goes around


And so it goes. We have spent many hours pondering how to begin this blog post.  We finally settled on a variation of a popular cliche.  Our version is: "What comes around, goes around."

Our Dear Friends and the Faithful LBR's of this blog are much more than passive readers.  Yea, verily, they are contributors, too.  Each of them provides us with inspiration and motivation in their own unique way.  Some post electronic comments.  Some send emails.  Some call on the phone.  Some even send USPS Snail Mail.  Our Dear Friends are Dear for many reasons and we treasure each of their contributions.

As some of you know, we have been lately (Lately being the last couple of years) attempting to become a so-called Blog Coach.  We have some students here and there, some enthusiastic, some maybe not so much.
One of our "students" is known here by her pseudonym "The Spudboater."  She's an outspoken rebel if there ever was one.  Her Day Job is the epitome of Miss Manners.  Afterhours, however, The Spudboater can really whip up her mashed potatoes!

Well, today, The Spudboater sent along an email as if to absolve herself for having nothing to say on her blog for at least an epoch, if not an era.  Instead of apologizing to The Blog Coach for having NOTHING whatsoever to post on her OWN blog, she sent along this goofy blog address and said how much she is impressed.  Frankly, with a title like "Millard Fillmore's Bathtub," we are mightily UNimpressed!

But since we are trying to buy into the role of being a Blog Coach (complete with whistle and so forth), we dutifully went to Millard Fillmore's Bathtub as a courtesy to our occasionally engaged student, The Spudboater.  At first we were totally underwhelmed by Millard Fillmore's Bathtub.  To be honest, we uttered propane things about it that cannot be repeated on a family blog.

However, in fairness to our student, we decided to give a seemingly worthless blog a fair shake.  Afterall, what's a Blog Coach to do?

So, we dutifully slogged down through the rampant detritus of a mind gone awry until we came upon an intriguing title, to wit: "Music stopped the deadly sniper."  Well, one thing led to another....and another...and another..and now here we are trying to tell you all about it.  It's a tough but glorious story to tell.  And that's what we are trying to do late this evening--tell you something significant.

And, so it was that we began to forget all about Millard Fillmore's Bathtub and read ever deeper and more deeply into the story about music stopping a sniper.  In front of us unfolded an unusual story and an even more unusual chain of circumstances.

We read the story with rapt attention.  We're certain you will, too.  It's a personal guarantee.
You can click here to read it.  We've archived this story on our Google Docs but it lost some formatting.  If the above link doesn't work, try this one.

And we were, naturally, moved.  So, we pondered to whom we could send this story.  Who would read it?  Who would appreciate it?  First to mind came The Goatherder.  Of course, The Goatherder would like this story, it's right down his alley.  So we sent it off to him and forgot about it.

Until.

A few hours later an email appeared in our inbox entitled "amazing coincidence."

The content of this email said simply: "You won't believe this one!"

And there it was---"what comes around, goes around."  I could hardly believe my eyes.  The Goatherder had forwarded the story to his Dear Neighbor and received this note in reply:

"I played with JT in a high school band in the late 40's.  He was the " old man" just returned from WWll.  He was at Willie field teaching the use of G suits.  He was a FINE trumpet man.  Last time I saw him, he walked off the job because the Dance Manager thought he was playing too loud. What a shot that you would see and send this.  We knew he was a war hero, but he played it down."
I was dumbfounded!  How could such an obscure story make it's way all the way back around to a former fellow band member from the 1940's?  In Cornville, Arizona, no less?  Somehow, the whole concept of it being a "small world" shrunk and all I could think of was, "What comes around goes around!"
Thanks Spudboater, ya dun good!  Thanks, Goatherder, ya dun good!  Thanks, Greg, ya dun good!

As this evening comes to a delightful close, I have to admit that sometimes I am in awe of the power of people to bring things full circle.  We all dun good and let's go to sleep tonight giving ourselfs a pat on the back!

Three Cheers for Dear Friends & LBRs!!!!  jp

Story sources:

The Blog item that started it all.
The original Deseret News Story
The Wiki on P47's

And, finally, a closing quote from Jack himself:

"All I want to do now is hit high C," he says, "and fall into the grave."

2 comments:

The Goatherder said...

Like I said when we talked, that story needed to get to Greg and we were the conduit. Beats the pants off me how this stuff works, but it sure is fun when it does!

Marti Spudboater said...

Well, I had no idea this blog I sent you would have such profound impact. The main reason I like it is the interesting and obscure things this blogger reviews. He really is a stickler for trying to get to the heart of the matter and be accurate. As for me, I'm just a has been piece of whitewater trash chickery, who as you've pointed out, likes to stir the pot when I'm not busy being Ms Manners of all things water, to the general public. Glad this story made the rounds.