Family

Went to the awards banquet for the volunteer ambulance. It was a nice event. Everyone dresses up -- men in suits, some in sportcoats, others in sweaters or simply clean shirts. The women do theirselves up to. It's amazing the change from uniform to being done up for the night. They all look really good.

The volunteers come from all walks of life: insurance, welding, housewives, retired computer people, engineers, government, nursing, sanitation, military, corrections, electricians, college and high school students, small business, retail, etc. One by one they are called up to get their certificates for years of service and recieve handshakes from the presenter while everyone applauds. 20 years, 21 years, 23 years, 26 years, 27 years.

I've been affiliated with the service for 13 years, first as a volunteer, then later as a medic. These people are like a family to me. I've been to their weddings, watched their children grow up, seen them battle cancer. I've taken many of them or their family members into the hospital. We've gone to funerals together.

We have a good time at the banquet, tell jokes and stories. Everyone takes a lot of pictures. When the music comes in, we dance. Every year my first dance is with my old Thursday partner Anita, who is seventy-eight and has two artiifial hips. She still rides the ambulance. Then I dance with Rosie, another old partner, who is half my height. Someone always brings out a chair for her to stand on.

It's a night for comraderie, a night to get to know friends better, a night that makes you glad you do what you do and grateful for the people you ride with.