The McCarty Metro - My Final Thought

Click the video above for a little background music while you read my final thought this month..

Hello Metro family and friends! I hope you had a great summer. Thank you for reading and supporting the McCarty Metro each month.

It was great to see Gina and Larry in the month of July. They took a road trip up to Michigan for a visit. We all went to Frankenmuth for chicken, and Mt. Pleasant to do some gambling. Before they left, we had a porch party with all the relatives. Although it was a rainy day, we all had a great time visiting. Margaret and I are looking forward to our next visit with our Tennessee family.

OK... I had a little health issue this past month. As reported in a previous issue, I had a full reverse shoulder replacement in April. This past month, while napping on my sofa, when getting up, I heard a pop sound. I dislocated the same shoulder. I had it reset in the ER the next morning. I have been doing better, but there may be another surgery in my future to repair and tighten the tendons and muscles holding the shoulder in place.

We had a wonderful road trip to Sesame Place in Pennsylvania this past month with the local grandkids. We got to stop at Cuyahoga National Park, and had a lot of fun on Sesame Street. Lots of rides and a water park. The kids had an awesome time, and it was fun spending time with them.

Margaret and I also have a nice trip planned to celebrate our 39th anniversary up on Mackinac Island at the Grand Hotel along with a lighthouse boat tour. Should be a blast.

As far as the Metro... We had 4 great videos submitted for our Film Project. If you didn't get a chance to see them this past month, they are on our Dateline News page for your enjoyment. We also had a lot of entries in our Metro Photo Challenge. There is still some time to submit your recreation of old photos, as well as our new project, our Metro Photoshop Challenge. Check out the page for details. I look forward to seeing your submissions.

Also, September also means the 13th year of the McCarty Metro NFL Pigskin Pickem game. Mike Lowder will try to win back to back titles (He must be stopped). Make sure you try to drop by weekly to the Metro and make your picks. You don't have to know anything about football or the NFL to play. It is a fun season, and the playoffs and Super Bowl are a blast. I hope you will consider joining us. The first game of the season is on Thursday, September 7, so make sure to get your picks in by that kickoff!

The final thought I leave you is a story about a birthday party that changed the lives of two little girls. Enjoy!

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY

I'll never forget the day Mom made me go to a birthday party. I was in Mrs. Black's third grade class in Wichita Falls, Texas, and I brought home a slightly peanut-buttery invitation.

"I'm not going," I said. "She's a new girl named Ruth, and Bernice and Pat aren't going. She asked the whole class, all 36 of us."

As Mom studied the handmade invitation, she looked strangely sad. Then she announced, "Well you are going! I'll pick up a present tomorrow."

I couldn't believe it. Mom had never made me go to a party! I was positive I'd just die if I had to go. But no amount of hysterics could sway Momma.

When Saturday arrived, Mom rushed me out of bed and made me wrap the pretty pink pearlized mirror brush-and-comb set she'd bought for $2.98.

She drove me over in her yellow and white 1950 Oldsmobile. Ruth answered the door and motioned me to follow her up the steepest, scariest staircase I'd ever seen.

Stepping through the door brought great relief. The hardwood floors gleamed in the sun-filled parlor. Snow-white doilies covered the backs and arms of well-worn overstuffed furniture. The biggest cake I ever saw sat on one table. It was decorated with nine pink candles, a messily printed Happy Birthday Ruthey and what I think were supposed to be rosebuds. And 36 Dixie cups filled with homemade fudge were near the cake. Each one with a name.

This won't be too awful-once everyone gets here, I decided.

"Where's your mom?" I asked Ruth.

Looking down at the floor, she said, "Well she's sorta sick."

"Oh. Where's your dad?" "He's gone."

Then there was a silence, except for a few raspy coughs from behind a closed door. Some 15 minutes passed... then 10 more. Suddenly the terrifying realization set in. No one else was coming. How could I get out of here? As I sank into self-pity, I heard muffled sobs. Looking up I saw Ruth's tear-streaked face. All at once my 8-year-old heart was overwhelmed with sympathy for Ruth and filled with rage at my 35 selfish classmates.

Springing to my white-patent leather feet, I proclaimed at the top of my lungs, "Who needs Them?"

Ruth's startled look changed to excited agreement.

There we were two small girls and a triple-decker cake, 36 candy-filled Dixie cups, ice cream, gallons of red Kool-Aid, three dozen party favors, games to play and prizes to win.

We started with the cake. We couldn't find any matches, and Ruthey (she was no longer just plain Ruth) wouldn't disturb her mom, so we just pretended to light them. I sang "Happy Birthday" while Ruthey made a wish and blew out the imaginary flames.

In a flash it was noon. Momma was honking out front. Gathering up all my goodies and thanking Ruthey repeatedly, I dashed to the car. I was bubbling over.

"I won all the games! Well, really, Ruthey won Pin the Tail on the Donkey, but she said it wasn't fair for the birthday girl to win a prize, so she gave it to me, and we split the party favors 50/50. Momma, she just loved the mirror set. I was the only one there out of Mrs. Black's whole third-grade class. And I can't wait to tell every one of them what a great party they missed!"

Mom pulled over to the curb, stopped the car and hugged me tight. With tears in her eyes, she said, "I'm so proud of you!"

That was the day I learned that one person could really make a difference. I had made a big difference in Ruthey's 9th birthday, and Mom had made a big difference in my life.

Here's to making new friends this year and treating them with kindness. You CAN be the difference!