Y'all have been awfully gracious, both here and in some private messages ... I'm here frequently, but don't post much; my duties as a moderator on a board for Marine families keeps my computer time occupied, and I do have this annoying day job. And I do appreciate the thoughts and prayers for DS - you can't imagine what a bizarre combination of fear and pride we experience. He just shrugs and says, "it's what I'm trained to do." Lord, what that boy has seen at the age of 21! ... spending last Easter and 10 other days hunkered down in Mosul, under fire.
Back OT ... we are taking our best friends and a couple of other teenage girls (10 of us) to BWV in less than a month. We've got a studio and a 2BR, Boardwalk view. A couple of them have never been to Disney before. So, with barely contained enthusiasm and anticipation, I can't WAIT to see their faces when they catch their first glimpse of Boardwalk, and see the lodgings we've provided. And it's not about impressing them with what we "have," but rather what we're able to share. DVC, for me, is a gift, pure and simple. And, like all good gifts, it's designed to be passed around.
I'd just hate to know there were some sort of criteria one had to meet in order to experience this very special magic. I can't afford to send everyone to Disney who'd like to go and didn't have the means, but with DVC I CAN provide for a few.
Perhaps one day my heart will turn small and bitter, and I'll look with scorn at those who "shouldn't be there," or wonder (aloud) how they managed to get together the funds to vacation at Disney. Until then, though, I'll be the balding 48-year-old father of two, showing my white hairy legs, standing in the middle of Main Street U.S.A., and welcoming all who enter to leave their cares behind, if only for a day.
Put a dollar value on THAT, Bubba.