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SMALL ACTS CHANGE THE WORLD - Juliann, Shiloh, Choice, Tate, and Ryder
The road to Tim and Kathy's was a pathway for peace and serenity. This is their own personal haven, a wonderland of sorts. The drive alone already made me grateful for the opportunity to share this time with them today. |
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| New Hampshire |
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| Be Better Bus in New Hampshire |
As luck would have it, Tim was outside at his mailbox when we arrived. He was able to direct us where to park the bus as well as walk us to the house. His calm and accepting demeanor created a feeling of lifelong friendship instantaneously. He is a man of solid character and integrity...an opinion that was validated and solidified time and time again as he interacted with the kids.
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| Shiloh, Juliann, and Tim |
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| Juliann, Ryder, Tim, Tate, and Shiloh |
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| Juliann, Ryder, Tim, Tate, and Shiloh |
He and Kathy enjoy their own little piece of paradise on Lake Winnipesaukee. The kids eyes lit up when they saw the lake directly off of their back deck. I was nervous that we would lose them to the beautiful surroundings and they wouldn't spend any time visiting.
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| Tate, Shiloh, and Ryder |
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| Juliann, Tate, Choice, Ryder, Shiloh, and Tim |
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| Choice |
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| Meredith, NH |
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| Tate |
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| Meredith, NH |
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| Meredith, NH |
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| Ryder and Kathy |
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| Ryder |
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| Tate, Choice, and Tim |
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| Tate, Choice, and Tim |
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| New Hampshire |
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| Kathy, Ryder, and Shiloh |
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| New Hampshire |
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| Choice |
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| Choice |
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| Tate |
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| New Hampshire |
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| New Hampshire |
I was worried for nothing (you wouldn't imagine how many times a day this happens). The kids adored both Tim and Kathy from the onset. Kathy joined us outside where I was first able to hug her and thank her for the assistance she provided us, never expecting an ounce of recognition. I wanted her to know that we not only recognize her kindness, but we celebrate and honor her for it.
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| Tim, Kathy, Ryder, Tate, and Choice |
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| Tim, Kathy, Ryder, Shiloh, and Juliann |
Immediately upon entering their home, you could feel the same peace that was present when driving through their tree-lined street. I asked if we should remove our shoes and Kathy wittingly replied, "Well, we don't." :-) Because they are the parents of three children, two girls and a boy, I imagine she understood the risks of little boys shoes upon her carpet. She didn't seem to mind a bit. She was an incredibly loving woman.
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| Choice, Juliann, and Tim |
While the boys went to explore the greenery in the living room with Kathy, Shy sat with me to visit with Tim. I was watching the boys out of the corner of my eye just waiting for them to do as Mark Twain's girls did and try to go on an indoor "jungle hunt".
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| Juliann and Shiloh |
Their exploration kept them busy for sometime. Kathy assured me it was okay but I still felt bad as I noticed them attempting to water each and every plant in the room.
Tim had always had a gift for speaking to others in a way that made difficult subject matter more easy understand. This was not only a testament to his knowledge as a skilled builder, but also the gift he had for conversing with others. In his search for what new path he would embark on, he combined these two talents and created, "Ask The Builder". He is now a professional writer...a talent he didn't know he had until unveiling it through this new endeavor. The list of titles Tim holds is nothing to shake a stick at...Husband, Father, Train Conductor, Amateur Radio Operator, Syndicated Columnist, Internet Publisher, and Master Plumber/Builder.
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| Tim, Ryder, Juliann, and Kathy |
All of this is made possible through the strength and support of his sweet companion. As we got into the motivation behind them getting involved with the tragedy that befell our crew in Arizona, it was interesting how their experiences and interaction in this regard differed from one another.
Kathy was struck by the story when she learned of it. The compassion within her heart prompted action and she made a donation to the charities assisting the families. She anonymously donated, expecting no praise or accolades, wishing only that it would ease the burdens of those whose lives were drastically upended by this blaze. Such genuine love. She is a soldier for good.
The incident had a different impact on Tim. Perhaps because of his hands on approach to assisting people, as he does on a daily basis though
AsktheBuilder.com, he wanted to be personally involved in any way possible. He recollected the day he saw an interview on the television wherein two of the Granite Mountain Hotshot widows remarked on the events of that fateful day. He was moved deeply by a statement made by one of these women and that started the ball rolling for him. He began to research. He studied the events online and found as much information as he could to answer the questions he had. He then reached out to a representative of the families asking that they please contact the widow from that television interview and offer his services as a master craftsman. He was pleasantly surprised to receive a response from her a short time later.
Tim, like many others, has made this incident a part of his life. He and Kathy have a daughter who lives in California and he said the next time they go West to visit her, he is going to make a concerted effort to visit the incident site in Yarnell. It has become very important to him.
All of that made this visit even more special for me. To know that these dear people have loved us, served us, blessed us, and worked towards answers with us, prior to ever meeting us face to face, humbled me.
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| Ryder and Juliann |
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| Ryder and Juliann |
Ryder took a moment to ponder what he'd learned from Mr. Tim...
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| Ryder |
...and then gave him and Ms. Kathy the small tokens of appreciation we'd brought for them. They were so sweet to immediately put their Be Better bands upon their wrists.
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| Tim, Ryder, and Choice |
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| Tim, Ryder, and Choice |
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| Tim, Ryder, and Choice |
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| Tim |
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| Tim and Ryder |
We chatted about all sorts of things today getting to know one another better. Tim assisted me with a few technical questions I had, seeing as he is far more savvy than I.
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| Juliann and Tim |
Kathy opened up her game cabinet and played board games with the kids. Everyone had a great time.
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| Tim, Ryder, Choice, Shiloh, Tate, Kathy, and Juliann |
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| Choice |
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| Choice |
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Tim, Ryder, Choice, Tate, Kathy, and Juliann
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Our discussions uncovered the bond that exists between Tim and Ryder. Tim graduated with a degree in Geology. He is an educated rock collector. Ryder is an amateur, yet passionate, rock collector and aspiring geologist. With just a short time remaining before we needed to hit the road, Tim took me, Ryder, Tate, and Jason to the a nearby vacant lot where one could find a supreme rock supply. He assisted Ryder and Tate with finding the perfect GRANITE rocks, native to New Hampshire, containing giant flakes of the mineral, MICA.
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| Juliann, Ryder, Tim, and Tate |
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| Juliann, Ryder, Tate, and Tim |
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| Tim, Ryder, Juliann, and Tate |
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| Tim, Ryder, and Tate |
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| Tim, Ryder, Juliann, and Tate |
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| Juliann |
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| Juliann |
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| Tate, Juliann, Ryder, and Tim |
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| Juliann, Ryder, and Tim |
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| Juliann, Tate, Ryder, and Tim |
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| Ryder and Tate |
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| Ryder, Tate, Juliann, and Tim |
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| Tate |
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| Tim, Ryder, and Juliann |
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| Tim, Ryder, and Juliann |
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| Tate, Juliann, and Ryder |
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| Ryder, Tate, and Juliann |
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| Tim, Ryder, and Tate |
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| Tim, Ryder, and Tate |
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| Tate, Tim, Ryder, and Juliann |
After a very successful rock hunt, we returned back to the house, far from empty handed. These beautiful rocks were shining in the back seat of the car. The kids were so thrilled to be taking a beautiful part of New Hampshire home with them. Thank you so much Tim for taking the time to provide us with that cherished memory.
Choice and Shiloh, who had stayed at the house with Kathy to play Clue and Jenga, had an equally brilliant time. Thank you Kathy for the loving and nurturing way you interacted with them today.
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| Jason, Shiloh, Tate, Kathy, Tristan, Ryder, and Tim |
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| Jason, Shiloh, Tate, Kathy, Tristan, Ryder, and Tim |
As has been the case with each of our visits, the time was far too short. We feel so richly blessed to have shared a wonderful afternoon with Kathy and Tim.
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| Ryder, Jason, Shiloh, Choice, Juliann, Kathy, Tim, and Tate |
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| Ryder, Shiloh, Jason, Choice, Juliann, Kathy, Tim, and Tate |
They walked us back to the bus so Ryder could show them our home on wheels. On the way up the incline, Choice opted to walk backwards and insisted that Ms. Kathy do the same. She was such a good sport. Better "she" than "me" as I'm certain I would've been far less graceful.
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| Choice and Kathy |
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| Choice and Kathy |
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| Choice and Kathy |
We made our way back down their beautiful drive and out of the great state of New Hampshire.
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| New Hampshire |
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| New Hampshire |
Tim made a few comments today that penetrated my soul. Such wisdom in the words he spoke. He was referring to a gal who contacted him on
AsktheBuilder.com who had come across an issue with the tile in her home. Ultimately, he had to break it to her that the issue was 65% contractor fault, and 35% her fault. He went on to advise her that if she wasn't happy with the tile, even though she would be financial responsible for it, that she should change it. He said to write it off as a tuition payment to the school of hard knocks. The brilliance, and my take away from it is this...if you are not happy with our surroundings, CHANGE IT! This gal who wrote him for advice is the one who has to live with these tiles that make her unhappy. That is reason enough to do something about it. This concept can be applied in all aspects of our lives. If there is anything in our lives that we find ourselves unhappy with on a daily basis, simply "tolerating"...CHANGE IT. No amount of money is too great for peace of mind and contentment. Create an environment around you that will bring you a life of bliss.
For those of you dissatisfied with your current station in life...
It is all a matter of perspective and introspection. Have we spent enough time in quiet reflection to even answer the question? Do we even know whether or not we are living in an environment that is conducive to our happiness? If you know that you are not, CHANGE IT. You are the one who is responsible for your happiness. You are the architect of it. Happiness is determined by the beholder and the individual lenses we see life through. Love your life enough that you view it as a masterpiece.
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| Juliann |
Juliann, it was great to have you and the lovely children here. It's going to be very hard to beat your description of the day, but I'll do my best. Remember, if you need help in the future with your home, you know who to call. Kathy really really had a splendid time and we hope you can come back to visit again and again and again. It's great swimming in the lake.
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