Many of you probably hear the word action and you immediately think of some sort of sporting event, or perhaps a type of movie that most men enjoy. For those of us inside this crazy little circle of trust we like to refer to as the Gannon family however, Action is the given name of our fearless leader. If my memory serves me correctly our dad, more commonly known as Jack, received his nickname shortly after us kids watched the 1988 crime thriller starring Carl Weathers as Jericho "Action" Jackson. In the movie Action Jackson plays a Detroit cop who is framed for a murder and hunts down his accuser in an attempt to clear his name. Now our dad bears no resemblance to the theatrical Action Jackson appearance wise, but we were led to believe from the movie that there was simply no problem in the world that Action could not solve, just like our dad. Fathers day was not long after we watched the movie and we bought our dad a money clip with the inscription "Action Jackson" on the back, from that point forward our dad was the real life Action Jackson!
Over the years, much like any given nickname, there have been numerous versions of the name Action. Everything from Action Man, Action Jackson, VIP Action, and in certain areas, Montana Jack(a slightly less familiar usage with the same meaning). One thing remains a certainty however no matter which name is used, Action can handle anything! Between us three kids Lord knows we've tested this theory to the fullest! Heck I could go on for hours just giving you examples of the tests I've put him through personally:) I'll spare you the details though as if your reading this chances are you already know exactly what I'm talking about.
I have been lucky enough to live and learn from Action for 35 years and I feel like I have only begun to crack the surface of the life lessons he continues to pass down to all of us. Much like every ones father is to them, he is the first man I turn to for advise on any subject. I am extremely grateful every day for the values he has instilled in me, from his never ending love and support for his family, to his unstoppable work ethic, If I become half the man he has I would consider my life a complete success!
Today Action celebrates his 63rd birthday and I'm happy to say that just over a year removed from his knee surgery he is nearly in the best shape of his life! He's still following us "young bucks" up the mountain in search of elk, and the thought of renting a cart for a round of golf rarely crosses his mind any more! We have made many memories along the way, and I know there are many more yet to come. Happy birthday to the man who literally brought the big screen to life, Action Jack Gannon!
Remember, take time to thank your own real life hero for all that they've done!
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
GL
My family often refers to our impeccable luck as the GL, or Gannon Luck. My dad is the one responsible for this phrase as through the years he has been the recipient of more than his fair share of misfortunes! I don't know where I would start or how I could stop, but all of us Gannon's have many stories that will certainly make most of you feel rather lucky! My mother always counters Action each time he starts griping about another GL incident, informing him that she believes the GL stands for Gods Love, going on to point out the positives that come from every one of these misfortunes. Not surprisingly she is almost always right, although on the surface these experiences appear to be all bad luck, if you really look at all of the details involved in them many of them have a silver lining that will make all of us smile.
These particular moments of GL have continued on to the next generation of Gannon's as I have been directly involved in more than I would care to admit. Unfortunately for our spouses, they acquire the GL the moment they vow to love us unconditionally as long as we both shall live:) Kelli used to think I was crazy when I told her of these events, until they started happening to her, even when I wasn't with her! Eventually, whether it's in your blood or you marry into it, the GL becomes a part of you and you truly begin to understand that there really is God's Love hidden in each experience! My latest moment is a good example.
I have to get licensed through the state of Washington to be a crop adjuster and now that I passed the tests required for the license I had to send in some fingerprints for a background check. This was going to be a whole new experience for me as I have never had my fingerprints taken before willingly, but those are stories for another time! Fingerprints have come a long way since the last time I had them done, they can be done electronically now, they simply scan your print and send it right over to the state! Seemed easy enough, certainly easier than the $52 they felt they needed to charge me! So I scheduled an appointment at a third party testing facility that the state uses for not only fingerprints but all of their testing for licenses as well. I arrived at my time and the waiting area was full of people there for a test and the one girl who was working at the facility was on the phone and clearly a little flustered. She paused from her phone call briefly enough to tell me they were having computer issues and she had to get these nine people testing before she could do my prints. My thoughts of this being quick and easy evaporated as I sat down and patiently awaited my turn.
The place only had one girl working and she had one tech support on the land line, another tech support on her cell phone, and she was continually going back and forth from the test computers to her desk trying to get them working. Every one in the waiting area was being quite patient as we could all tell that she was mere moments away form a total meltdown! After one of the women waiting used the restroom and came out to inform the girl that the toilet was broken I was sure she was going to break. I could see her stress level reaching it's breaking point as her face practically said "great, whats next!" There was only one bathroom in the place so having an operational toilet was pretty important. I didn't want to interrupt the girl form her never ending tech support saga so I told the woman who last used the restroom that I used to be a plumber and I would go look at it. The toilet wasn't flushing because it was completely plugged up! Luckily there was a plunger next to it so I picked it up and went to work, once the plug was cleared I flushed it a few times to make sure it was good to go then went back out and told everyone in the waiting area it was fixed.
I had been there for over an hour when she finally had over half of the people waiting taking their tests and she had just enough break to say she would check out the toilet issue, when the lady who informed her it was broken told her, "don't worry about it, we have a plumber here and he fixed it already", I thought she was going to cry! She thanked me about ten times, took my fingerprints in about five minutes, thanked me about ten more times and I was on my way. Thanks to the GL my quick little ten minute fingerprinting took an hour and a half and also included a brief flashback to the plumbing days! While she was taking my fingerprints though the girl said something that reminded me that this was indeed yet another form of God's Love, she said "somebody is looking out for me today, thank you!"
I know exactly who was looking out for her, it's the same person who's looking out for all of us at all times, and no matter how difficult it may seem at the time each one of these misfortunes we encounter most certainly are God's Love!
Remember, the next time your caught in an "unlucky" situation, stop and think about it and I bet you'll find some of God's Love hidden in there for you to find, enjoy it!
These particular moments of GL have continued on to the next generation of Gannon's as I have been directly involved in more than I would care to admit. Unfortunately for our spouses, they acquire the GL the moment they vow to love us unconditionally as long as we both shall live:) Kelli used to think I was crazy when I told her of these events, until they started happening to her, even when I wasn't with her! Eventually, whether it's in your blood or you marry into it, the GL becomes a part of you and you truly begin to understand that there really is God's Love hidden in each experience! My latest moment is a good example.
I have to get licensed through the state of Washington to be a crop adjuster and now that I passed the tests required for the license I had to send in some fingerprints for a background check. This was going to be a whole new experience for me as I have never had my fingerprints taken before willingly, but those are stories for another time! Fingerprints have come a long way since the last time I had them done, they can be done electronically now, they simply scan your print and send it right over to the state! Seemed easy enough, certainly easier than the $52 they felt they needed to charge me! So I scheduled an appointment at a third party testing facility that the state uses for not only fingerprints but all of their testing for licenses as well. I arrived at my time and the waiting area was full of people there for a test and the one girl who was working at the facility was on the phone and clearly a little flustered. She paused from her phone call briefly enough to tell me they were having computer issues and she had to get these nine people testing before she could do my prints. My thoughts of this being quick and easy evaporated as I sat down and patiently awaited my turn.
The place only had one girl working and she had one tech support on the land line, another tech support on her cell phone, and she was continually going back and forth from the test computers to her desk trying to get them working. Every one in the waiting area was being quite patient as we could all tell that she was mere moments away form a total meltdown! After one of the women waiting used the restroom and came out to inform the girl that the toilet was broken I was sure she was going to break. I could see her stress level reaching it's breaking point as her face practically said "great, whats next!" There was only one bathroom in the place so having an operational toilet was pretty important. I didn't want to interrupt the girl form her never ending tech support saga so I told the woman who last used the restroom that I used to be a plumber and I would go look at it. The toilet wasn't flushing because it was completely plugged up! Luckily there was a plunger next to it so I picked it up and went to work, once the plug was cleared I flushed it a few times to make sure it was good to go then went back out and told everyone in the waiting area it was fixed.
I had been there for over an hour when she finally had over half of the people waiting taking their tests and she had just enough break to say she would check out the toilet issue, when the lady who informed her it was broken told her, "don't worry about it, we have a plumber here and he fixed it already", I thought she was going to cry! She thanked me about ten times, took my fingerprints in about five minutes, thanked me about ten more times and I was on my way. Thanks to the GL my quick little ten minute fingerprinting took an hour and a half and also included a brief flashback to the plumbing days! While she was taking my fingerprints though the girl said something that reminded me that this was indeed yet another form of God's Love, she said "somebody is looking out for me today, thank you!"
I know exactly who was looking out for her, it's the same person who's looking out for all of us at all times, and no matter how difficult it may seem at the time each one of these misfortunes we encounter most certainly are God's Love!
Remember, the next time your caught in an "unlucky" situation, stop and think about it and I bet you'll find some of God's Love hidden in there for you to find, enjoy it!
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Grateful!
As is usually the case with us, things have changed a bit since the last time I posted anything on here. We've had a busy few days as we had to back out of our house deal we had. During the home inspection process some issues came about with the fireplace chimney and to spare you all of the details we decided to back out while we still could. Although it was certainly a disheartening experience, lessons were learned by both Kelli and I and I believe we have come out of this thing in good shape. We have both had our foot on the gas pedal since we've been here to buy a house, the only explanation I can come up with is that we haven't rented for so long and we got so used to home ownership that it felt as though we couldn't get settled into this area until we owned a house. Well all it took was not one but two houses to fall through for us to realize that renting until we can find the perfect house is a luxury, not a burden!
The good news is we have both learned a lot through this ordeal and the most important thing we've learned is to be content with what we currently have in life. After the house deal was officially terminated Kelli and I sat down and evaluated what we had going for us in the present and we immediately understood how much we had taken for granted. We have a rental that works for not only our needs but all of our pets needs as well. So we decided right then and there to stop spending so much of our free time trying to find our next mortgage, and began enjoying what we had around us! All in the course of the next couple days we got library cards at the local library, ordered home Internet service since we were no longer anticipating leaving the rental, and attended the church that happens to be within walking distance of our house. These few small acts may not seem like much but they helped us realize that we didn't need to keep waiting to settle in to our lives here, we can fully settle in right where we're at and start enjoying everything this town has to offer!
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "we are always getting ready to live, but never living". This one quote sums up how we have been acting since moving over here. We have only begun to settle in and experience this moment in our lives and it already feels much more comfortable!
Remember, if we all take a moment to think about the blessings we have, it truly is difficult to be anything short of grateful!
The good news is we have both learned a lot through this ordeal and the most important thing we've learned is to be content with what we currently have in life. After the house deal was officially terminated Kelli and I sat down and evaluated what we had going for us in the present and we immediately understood how much we had taken for granted. We have a rental that works for not only our needs but all of our pets needs as well. So we decided right then and there to stop spending so much of our free time trying to find our next mortgage, and began enjoying what we had around us! All in the course of the next couple days we got library cards at the local library, ordered home Internet service since we were no longer anticipating leaving the rental, and attended the church that happens to be within walking distance of our house. These few small acts may not seem like much but they helped us realize that we didn't need to keep waiting to settle in to our lives here, we can fully settle in right where we're at and start enjoying everything this town has to offer!
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said "we are always getting ready to live, but never living". This one quote sums up how we have been acting since moving over here. We have only begun to settle in and experience this moment in our lives and it already feels much more comfortable!
Remember, if we all take a moment to think about the blessings we have, it truly is difficult to be anything short of grateful!
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