New Year's

As 1999 was drawing to an end, many were afraid of what 2000 might bring-or not bring. The news reporters were broadcasting that computers would not be able to make the conversion to the new year. Airplanes could just stop midair. Banks could lose all of the money. Could bes and maybes were endless. I didn't and still don't understand what everyone was really worried about and I decided not to worry too much about it unless "it" happened.

My father-in-law on the other hand bought into all of it. He was a WWII veteran. A man who had survived the Battle of the Bulge, getting shot, and having partial paralysis during his time in the service, he wanted to keep his family safe. He wanted all of us to be prepared and he lectured us to take these warnings seriously.

In the summer of 1999 he began stocking up on certain items at the grocery store. One of the main items he bought was two liters of Coke products. He loved Coke ever since his brother worked for the company many years earlier. Every time we visited, he would send us home with 5-10 plastic bottles of all varieties. He did this for each of his 6 kids. We made a spot in our basement for the sodas.

Another task he assigned us was to save old milk jugs, clean them out, and fill them with water. We did this to ease his mind. With four kids, it didn't take long for us to acquire 20 plus jugs.

We stocked up on canned goods and other nonperishable foods. The final gift that he provided was a propane camping stove with several extra bottles of propane. We were ready if this big event occurred.

As we made plans for New Year's Eve, we weren't very concerned about what was going to happen at the stroke of midnight. After pondering over the options, we decided to attend a dance that our kid's school's athletic association was hosting. Did we feel guilty not spending what could be the end of the world with our kids? Not really. We believed if anything really did happen, they would be well off since they were spending the evening with their grandparents. If we were prepared, my father-in-law was ready for anything.

We partied through the night with a large group of friends. At midnight we toasted the new year and waited. Nothing happened. We called our kids and wished them Happy New Year. They were safe. We were safe. Nothing happened. There were no computer glitches stealing away our money or downing planes. Life went on. We survived the perceived catastrophe. The party went on.

The stockpile in our basement went down gradually. We drank the sodas and ate the food. We watered plants with the water and recycled the empty jugs. Most New Year's Eves are just a blurred memory, but 1999 was definitely very memorable to me.