PA House Bill 1244 introduced by PA State Reps. Michael Carroll, Aaron Kaufer and Tina Davis in April of this year to rename the Fort Jenkins Bridge to Specialist Dale J. Kridlo Bridge was ratified and, Sunday at 1 p.m., the bridge will be officially dedicated in Dale’s name.
SPC Kirdlo was killed in action at the age of 33 in Afghanistan in support of Operations Enduring Freedom. He was awarded a Bronze Star Medal and a Purple Heart.
Dale was the son of Albert Kridlo and Michelle Shymanski Dale.
Today is a special day for Greater Pittstonians, so try to get out and support the life of a true hero.
Family is something we often take for granted when we’re young. As long as it’s status quo and nothing changes, everything is fine.
Unfortunately, as you gain in years, families, like friends, often fade away.
As I’ve gone through life, I have spent years, if not decades, in a friendship, relationship, or even a work environment where I saw the same people every day and then all of a sudden – things change.
Oh sure, you may leave or retire from a job and take away one or two good friends but, as for everyone else, they’re just a memory. You may even have had a close relationship with a co-worker or someone you considered a friend, only to find out once you parted, you never hear or see them again. Life is strange that way.
I’ve been self-employed for most of my life and occasionally would find myself in a workplace situation seeing the same people day-in and day-out. The last such place was a few years ago where I worked closely with many employees for more than 10 years. Now when I see a former co-worker, our time together seems like a distant memory.
Really close friendships end up as acquaintances over time.
The same thing can be said for family.
I grew up with two siblings – an older brother and a younger sister. We shared many family events together. Sometime it amazes me that my version of an event differs so much from my brother’s take on the same thing. The mind is a funny thing, for sure.
It’s been 40-plus years since I’ve lived with either sibling and, even though we share the same parents, events, resemblance and blood, after 40 years, we all couldn’t be more different.
My brother relocated back to Colorado where he and his wife and children lived for many years before spending 17 years back in Greater Pittston.
My sister lives in Kingston, but is involved with her family and getting together is never easy.
It seems we only see each other on rare occasions or funerals. I’m sorry to say, it’s been the latter more than the former.
Gone are the days of families visiting each other on occasions other than holidays. I’m sure anyone reading this can remember visiting grandparents on Sundays, for example. The whole family would hop in the car and visit the grandparents.
You couldn’t beat a backyard cookout with family. Those were my favorites.
I bet plenty of you still do family things but, over time and with the loss of family figures, things change.
Last weekend was a great weekend where my family celebrated my uncle’s 90th birthday by throwing him a surprise party. Being that his birthday isn’t until the end of October, it’s safe to say he was surprised. The look on his face as he entered the house was one of total shock.
It was a happy day as many of my relatives I haven’t seen in a very long time, maybe even a decade or two, made the party.
Seeing a lot of my family under one roof was great. Having my siblings in one place was very nice and made it even more special because it was for a happy situation. The last time we convened was for my mom’s funeral in April 2016.
I was happy to see my cousins from Long Island and had a chance to reminisce about the past, catching up about our children and his grandchildren. I have fond memories of our family trips to Long Island when we’d go to Jones Beach on hot summer days.
My cousins had a band that was fairly popular on the island at one time. They often had cookouts at the house and would bring out the instruments for an impromptu concert. Before you knew it, tons of kids from blocks away would show up.
The parties usually ended late at night with the police showing up to shut them down.
It seemed my aunt and uncle’s home was a focal point where everyone would stay the night. There were plenty of mornings when I’d rise only to tiptoe over many of my cousin’s friends sleeping on the floor.
It’s a pity time marches on for all of us.
Quote of the week
“The world is a tragedy to those who feel, but a comedy to those who think.” – Horace Walpole, English writer.
Thought of the week
“No man is a success in business unless he loves his work.” – Florence Scovel Shinn, American writer.
Bumper sticker
“Never mind whom we praise, but be very careful who we blame.” – Edmund Grosse, English author.
