AN INDEPENDENT SPIRIT

In 1976, when we discovered that my wife was with child again, we decided to name our soon to be born addition, either Tim, if a boy, or Melanie, if a girl. This was back before it was fashionable to know the gender of the baby, before it was born. Two months prior to the due date, my mother-in-law, Floy, said, "Well, personally, I think she should be named after Metta Marie Olson Jorgensen, from the Norwegian side of the family." That was all it took. Within seconds, we agreed.

On the 27th of that year, Metta Marie Ray came into our family. She was a healthy, beautiful girl, with dancing eyes and an independent spirit. The day I took her to get her nine month old picture, a tradition for all our kids when they were that age, she had a very runny nose but put up with the extra attention and smiled sweetly for the camera. When she was in about the first or second grade, while we were living in Okinawa, Japan, her teacher told us that Metta was definitely a leader.

The Japanese guards on the base would always wave at her and run their fingers thru her blond hair. To do so was considered a lucky token. The same thing would happen with other Japanese while shopping or anywhere. They would do so and then say, "Ahdegottoe," or thank you, which is the way it sounded, not the way it was really spelled. After a while, Metta would begin to say, "The Ahdegottoe people like me." And indeed they did.

Following our oriental assignment, we stopped over in Disneyland, before a concurrent overseas tour to Europe. Somewhere in Fantasyland, we realized that Metta was missing. We fanned out in all directions looking for one lost little girl, but to no avail. Nothing can be quite so terrifying as searching for a child in a crowded area, without success. After about thirty minutes, I spotted her standing in front of the merry-go-round in complete fascination. Not wanting to sound too alarmed, I said to her, "Metta, whatcha doin'?" "Nothin," she replied. "Just lookin." I don't think she even noticed that we weren't around.

While stationed for three years near Frankfurt, Germany, she often would stop by my military duty section, visit with me briefly and get a soda or candy bar from our snack bar. She and her siblings were frequent visitors and sometimes even missed the bus by visiting too long.

Today she has a husband and children of her own. She is struggling to achieve a college degree and is quick to help those in trouble. Recently she and her mother drove clear to southern Texas and back to help her sister. It was an ordeal that required a huge sacrifice. We're glad she's part of our family and has put that independent spirit to so much use.