Picture taken by Melly...Thanks!
Dear Glenny,
When I went camping to Driggs, Idaho for the weekend I told my blog friends that I was going to have another bonding moment with you. I like those you know. These random bonding moments we have occasionally. Okay, it was only twice. But they feel like more.
When I saw you in the crowd it felt like I saw an old friend. I think that might be a special talent of yours. You know how to make people feel like a friend and, even better, like you like them the best. My new father in law Dale is like that. I know he likes me the best. And I know out of the two bonding moments you and I have had, that you like me an awful lot.
You were in Driggs to speak at the Independence Day Celebration. My family was camping in Driggs to participate in the areas activities and to see you and the fireworks.
While participating in the activities at the Huntsman Golf Course with my family I saw you from across the way checking out the antique cars with your crew.
I pointed you out to my sons. They know I love you and they really wanted me to go talk to you. For some reason I have great respect for celebrities and their right to be in public and not be harassed, for the good or the bad.
So I told my kids I couldn’t approach you like that when you were just trying to enjoy your day, love you though I may.
But a few minutes later when you touched the handles to my baby’s stroller.... things changed. It was “game on”, my friend.
Here are a few things about those few moments I might change if I had the chance.
When my family was in the way of your golf cart and entourage I would like to not have been standing in line for a Pronto Pup! I don’t even eat those on a good day!
But there I was. With seven of the eight people in my family, taking up space in the line, and ordering $24.50 of corn dog nastiness. We had tried to order something better but corn dogs were cheapest. We had a cooler of sandwich fixings but the walk to the car in the heat was apparently not worth $24.50. I really wanted to be standing in line for the Dutch oven cooking.
When your “people” told my “people” and others that you needed to get through I wish I had just calmly looked around and observed the situation. I didn’t even realize it was you needing to get through.
I tried to scoot Kate, in the stroller, over but I could tell there wasn’t going to really be quite enough room. But I was panicking a bit because I am a pretty huge rule follower and I was told to move so move I must!
Kate’s handles were on the opposite end of my reaching. Her feet were closest to me. I was a little concerned for her safety because she was so close to the golf cart. Then... like a crazy, beautiful mirage, from my sun baked self, I saw you standing there so sweetly backing her up when I couldn’t. Saving her from injury!
You leaned your head over her stroller and the back of her and gently spoke to her. She looked up at you like "who the heck is controlling my stroller". She looked ever so cute with her face painted with a beautiful lady bug on it. Your entourage got out and snapped pictures like crazy.
Could that be any sweeter?If I could do it over again I would memorize what you said to my darling. But I was so shocked and excited I can’t even remember. My older daughter thinks it was about how Kate had a great way to enjoy the day, relaxing in a stroller with someone pushing her around. I was also slowly sneaking my camera out of my pocket to get a picture of you talking to her. So here is my only picture of the encounter. See! That’s your hand!
If I had the moment to take back I would have not been standing there in my bright turquoise shirt from Wal-Mart that had about 10 tons of glitter on it and something like a palm tree leaf coming out from my neck and down onto my bosom. Yeah. It was pretty bad. But it was thin and cool and I really am low on the clothes department. You know because I won’t buy new clothes until I lose weight.
Speaking of which, I really wish I had lost those 20 pounds I was going to have lost by July. I also wish I had uh…you know… HAD A SHOWER!!!!!! Ugh! Camping! I also wish my hair had been long and flowing instead of shoved in what I refer to as my “Mulan” bun.
I thanked you for moving her and then I said some things to you that I deeply wish I could change. Or expand on. Or take back. I am mortified to even repeat the dumb things I said to you! I was just so excited.
First of all I said…"You don’t know this but…."
Let’s just visit this for a moment, shall we?
OoooooFFFFF! *hand slaps forehead* of course you don’t know. What was I thinking! We had only had one prior bonding moment together! How could you know anything about my thinking’s!
“I love you!”
That’s not so bad because it’s true but when it is followed with a…. “I blog about you all the time!”
….….can you say “red alert, bodyguards!” fast enough?
I’m sorry for that stalkerish moment. Truly I am. I know I looked like a loon in my sparkly shirt professing my love to you, unshowered and in the corn dog line….with children galore staring on….and one husband holding 6 corndogs…..
But your sweet self just smiled at me and REACHED. OUT. FOR. A. HUG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are a generous kind person. l wish that as we were hugging my brain hadn’t had a complete hemorrhage and I could remember it better. But all I remember is our heads were actually basically side by side. And your shirt was soft. And it was light blue.
Once again, I do wish I hadn’t been sweating in 5 hundred different lines that day watching dogs catch Frisbees and a hilarious man juggling. I wish if I had known you would be hugging me later with your head next to my head that I would have had a shower with real live shampoo and water and a little perfume sprayed on me.
I wish that after we hugged I would have just left well enough alone. But instead I said…"We just hope you can keep on going…….”
DO you think I could have come up with something a little more eloquent to say? But you replied politely that you were going to keep on going.
What I really wish I would have told you is.... how important the work you are doing is. How I am scared for you but how incredibly brave you are to keep speaking out in the face of such controversy. How brilliant I think you are and your drive for the truth and for freedom is needed more now than ever. How thankful I am for your message of love and hope and goodness.
Then…. I said the thing that I will forever be mortified by. I said….
“I’m voting for you.” Huh? What? Back the truck up. Whyyyyyyyyyy…Why??????? Why did that come out of my mouth!!!!! Voting for you? What does that even mean! I think I even gave you a thumbs up. *shudder*
What I really meant to say (Besides possibly…I don’t know….. I’m rooting for you....) was that I worry, worry , worry, about you. I pray for your strength and safety. I support you. I wish you all the good things you deserve.
But no….I said “I’m voting for you.”
It was classic. Classic dumbness. Classic “I am staring at Glenn Beck’s beautiful face and saying completely crazy dumb things…!”
You were polite and by then had to move on and our moment was done.
If I could have changed it I would have had some sort of special pass to follow you around for the next week and glean from your knowledge and funniness. If I had the time I would have told you that I love to attend your events and that I loved you before you became so cool. I loved you when you were still just talking about how people who have over three cats might be crazy.
I also have been dying to tell your wife I love her too. And thanks for sharing you with us. It must be a real pain. And a real sacrifice. And I would thank her. And apologize that I think I have the right to call you “Glenny”.
But aside from the things I would have changed it was the perfect moment. I finished helping Corey with the corn dogs and then we found a scrap of shade to sit in and eat. I COULD. NOT. QUIT. SMILING!
Here are some things I would not change. (Aside from the obviousness of my hug which you freely initiated) (You big lovey!)
I would not change…. HOW absolutely stunned and EXCITED my kids were for me. It was so sweet.
Rhett could not quit asking me about it. He actually asked me if his dad had arranged it for me. I love the he thinks Corey has the power to arrange something like that. And I lOVE that he thinks Corey would do something that special for me.
I wouldn’t change the high I had for the rest of the camp trip. When I woke up
EVERY night in the tent in the middle of the night,
TERRIFIED a bear was going to rip through and steal one of my babies, I would rehash our moment and get peace…. minus the voting part. By the way I know you aren’t running for anything. I’m afraid you now wonder if I really listen to your show!
Rooting! It was suppose to be rooting!!!! I promise.
I wouldn’t change how cracked up my husband was over it. He kept making jokes that you were done with the hug and that I had my hands locked behind your back in a vice grip and you couldn’t get away. Hilarious. Not true of course. Although if I had thought about it at the time………
I wouldn’t change telling you I love you. I hope you know that for all the people against you, I think there are more for you. And we need you. And we are inspired and empowered by you. And accountable because of hearing you. And I am not alone. Lots of us LOVE you! You are Glenny to lots of us. I wish I could share your hug with everyone. Honest I do. Although I don’t want to hear about it. I want to pretend you like me the most for a little while longer.
That night at you speech the last part was so beautiful and loving and so open. Just like you.
You spoke about just loving each other.
The fireworks began with John F. Kennedy’s famous speech and Martin Luther King. Truly spectacular.
I couldn’t help but shake my fist in the air when my beloved Neil Diamond’s song “Amercia” began playing. I turned to my son Nathan and told him, “you and I use to dance to Neil in the kitchen when you were little”. And he said he remembered. BREAK MY HEART WITH JOY AND LARGE LOVE!
I loved sitting on the grassy , hilly, beautiful Huntsman Golf Course watching the fireworks. I belted out all the words to the patriotic songs, as was a lady behind me. It was wonderful. (Sorry for those around us who maybe it wasn't
"wonderful" for) At the end of the firework show I swear they just redid every single fire work all at once. It was amazing. The “kabooms” you could feel through the ground. Great!
Thanks Glenn. For all that you do. You are true and honorable. Thanks for taking the time to pay some attention to a normal person like me. It meant so much. I actually really felt it was a little message from a loving Heavenly Father telling me I was doing alright!
XO XO XO XO
