"Well, I was born in a small town"

"And I live in a small town,
Probly die in a small town
Oh, those small communities" - John Cougar Mellencamp

We live on a main street in and out of our small town, when our volunteer fire department gets a call, they typically fly by our house with the sirens wailing and all the lights flashing. Seventh heaven for a two-year-old boy with a car/truck fetish. Sunday afternoon, we heard the sirens and ran to watch for the trucks.

Jacob and were standing on the sidewalk, waiting for them when our friend, Shaun, he's a deputy chief on our fire department, passed us first, in his truck. He gave Jacob a big wave and an extra whelp on the siren. I'm telling you, Jacob was so excited I could barely hold him! We heard the firetruck coming, so we waited a bit more and they came around the corner, saw Jacob waving with both hands, they all, all 4 firefighters waved to him (3 of them with both hands!), gave him an extra 'toot' on the horn and a whelp of the siren. I thought that kid was going to pee himself. I showed Jacob that his friend, George was riding in the back seat. Oh, even more excitement! He danced up the street, on his tippy toes, after the firetruck!

George dates a gal from down the street. Jeremy played softball with him and George's kids, Shane and Sasha worked for Jeremy for a while. We know George pretty well. A few weeks ago, Jacob and I went for a walk to the corner, and George was visiting his friend. Jacob ran up to George, grabbed his finger and took George for a walk. George took Jacob over to his truck and turned on all of his flashers. Jacob and George have been buddies ever since.

(I thought I was going to have to call Shaun and George on Saturday. Jacob locked himself in the downstairs bathroom while Jeremy was at his fantasy football draft. Our bathroom lock is more like a deadbolt - no key, it just turns. Jacob's starting to cry, I'm trying to find Shaun's number, Jeremy's getting ready to come home (he was about a 1/2 hour away). Then I remembered that we have a back stairway that goes from the upstairs hall into the downstairs bathroom and there isn't a lock on that door. I ran up and backed down the narrow stairs into the bathroom and let my son out.)

Anyway, later Sunday night, Jacob and I were walking up to the store and we saw the firetruck coming back to the station. Those guys remembered Jacob from earlier, the driver slowed the truck, turned the siren on really low, tooted the horn, flashed the lights, and they all waved again!

Somebody told me that I'm lucky that Jacob has 'friends' on the fire department. I didn't think much of it but, they're right, we are lucky. God forbid we would need them, Jacob knows that they're safe and wouldn't be as scared. I don't want to find out. I am thankful to know Shaun and George personally, and I know should anything happen, they'd do all they could for my kid.

I do have to say, I am so proud of our firefighters for making a little boy's day! That right there is what I love about living in a small town!