We heard saws and hammering in our neighbors yard and had to inquire. At first I thought they were building a doghouse, then it kept getting larger! That’s when we ventured over to check things out and see what was taking place.
Our neighbors, Jeff and Chris Guralski, are nice people. Jeff has worked at a local factory here in Wausau for the last 25-years. Like most Americans the last few years have really made life challenging. Work hasn’t returned to the pace it use to be like and he’s still sent home with little notice. We’ve often talked about hanging in there and trying not to get discouraged. Each spring we kind of meet up along the back fence and talk about new projects in our yards. We’ve known each other about 10-years now.
When his vacation arrived this summer the family decided to stay home. Usually they pile things into their van and hit the road. Not this year. They decided to use the saved funds instead to build their two boys a fort. One of the kids had been picked on at another one in the neighborhood and Jeff wasn’t going to put up with it. He decided to build them their own fort. They would build it as a family together.
It was inspiring watching the family work. Their uncle Blake joined in to help and soon it was sitting upright on secure posts. Jeff and Blake slid the fort up using a winch from a small fishing boat trailer and slowly inched it into position. His sons secured bolts, made the ladder, and before you knew it they were hauling things into it. They quickly wrote the rules on the wall and who was in their new clubhouse.
With Fathers Day Sunday it reminded me why Dads are remembered. Little things like this (and not so little), done as a family, are nice to see. The forts not complete yet, they still want to put a small solar light in it and sand on the bottom. Today a window gets put in and another coat of stain.
His wife, Chris, shared with us that this was always on her “bucket list” for the kids to experience. It was interesting watching the dynamics play out once the kids called it their own. The rules, no spitting or fighting, haven’t changed much over the years. No girls are allowed accept for Mom of course. She doesn’t even have to use the secret password.
Happy Father’s Day weekend everyone. I know, as a father, that the jobs a tough one at times. Most the time we have no idea what we’re doing but we try. The last few days we’ve seen one go the extra mile, without leaving his yard. Good job Jeff and family!
Source: ireport.cnn.com
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