A Bubble Off Plumb

There are just some people who are always a pleasure to see and talk to, no matter what is going on in their lives, or yours.

So it is with the Flynn family. I know there is more than one clan of Flynns, but I believe they are all related one way or another, or maybe just kissin cousins, but seldom have I met a family that was so all around good natured.

I met Gary Flynn first. At that time, he was on the city council, but I got to know him much better as a firefighter. Luckily, I never needed the department’s help, but I often saw the members at auto accidents or road closures and when I stopped by the shop for the reports.

Gary was always laughing and seemed glad to see me. I don’t get that everywhere I go. He also gave me a lot of good information and steered me straight when I needed it. I met Richard and his pretty wife Sharon when their son signed a letter of intent for college.

Then I figured out Carla was related to Gary. What a beautiful lady she is, always laughing, always positive, even though I know in her job capacity at Opportunities she hears and sees a lot of heartbreak and sad situations she can only do so much to heal. And what a set of pipes on that girl! Man, can she sing.

Just recently, though, I figured out that Renee Ross was also a Flynn. I was at a softball game and pointblank asked her if she was related to Carla because they sounded so much alike. Turns out she is Carla’s big sister.

Renee is perhaps the biggest supporter of Watonga sports there is. Now that spring sports are on the calendar nearly every day, I run into her several times a week. She might be keeping score, acting as a coach, (and keeping me from getting smacked by umpires or fly balls) or seeing to it that the right Eagle athlete is in the right place at the right time.

It is easy to tell that it is more than just a job. She is deeply invested in the children she is helping. Just like Carla is with the families and seniors she assists. Or Gary is with the people he encounters on what may be the worst day of their lives. And each carries the weight of those responsibilities as if they were feather-light and a privilege to address.

Would that each of us could take a page from the Flynn play book, stay positive and happy, work hard on the hard things but not get weighed down with them. Think of the good we could do the town, the community around us with that kind of attitude.

And it would be awesome if I could sing like that, too.