One of Shannon and my favorite places to eat is Buddy’s Restaurant in Pocatello. So, the first time I went down to find some sponsors for the fundraiser, I stopped in for lunch. After my meal, I gave the manager a sponsorship flyer, and told him about the fundraiser. He said he would look at it, and I told him I would check back with him later.
The next time I went down, I stopped in again for lunch. The owner came over to my table and asked me how I was doing. “I’m down here talking to some more businesses about some sponsorships, so of course I had to stop and get a Buddy’s salad for lunch,” I said. “Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that,” he said. “What exactly were you looking for?” he asked. “We would be happy with anything you could do” I replied. “If you wanted to do some kind of a gift certificate, that would be great,” I told him. “I can do a couple of gift certificates,” he said and went to get them. He came back with two gift certificates, and a check for $100. “I think this is a great thing you are doing, and we want to be part of it,” he said as he handed me the certificates and the check. I was surprised and thanked him for his generous contribution.
I knew what I wanted to do, so I asked him what size t-shirt he and his wife wore. I went out to my car and got a couple of t-shirts, and then I autographed one of my books for him. I went back in and handed him the t-shirts. Then I said, “I want you to have an autographed copy of my book.” He thanked me for the t-shirts and book. “I really admire what you are doing to keep her memory alive,” he told me.
As we were talking, one of the waitresses walked up and looked at the cover of the book. “Is that Shannon?” she asked. I was kind of taken by surprise. “Yes, it is,” I told her. “I went to school with her. She was a year older than I was, but I remember her. She was the prettiest girl in school. She was always so nice and sweet to everyone she talked to,” she said. I can’t explain how happy that made me to hear her say that. I told her how everyone that knew Shannon has told me the same thing. I went out to the car and autographed a copy of my book. I went back in and handed her the book. “I know Shannon would want you to have a copy of the book,” I told her. Her eyes started to tear up a little as she thanked me for the book.
As I drove back to Idaho Falls, I reflected on what a great day it had been. I was grateful for the donations to the Foundation, but most of all, it was great to hear from someone who knew what a true angel Shannon has always been. I will always LOVE AND MISS YOU sweetheart.
I want to thank my girlfriend Kristi for her compassion and understanding. I want to thank her for her complete support and help with the Foundation. She is truly amazing.
Next week: Happy Labor Day 2018
P.S. Thanks to Kristi, Cassidy now has some help with my adult supervision.