Dear ones,
Yesterday was a memorial service in Wenatchee, Washington (across the
mountains from us) for the three firefighters who died in wildfire fighting
(got trapped). These men remind me of all those people who choose jobs in
which our own safety depends, at risk of life - hard on families, yet how
seldom do I take note of their sacrifice unless something tragic hits the
news. How many fire fighters, rangers, police, etc., have died in efforts
to keep us safe? How many reporters have risked their lives to keep us
aware of what's happening in the world? Many have died in that effort.
And I think this morning, as well of the "silent ones" who work at jobs that
carry risk, but probably get no real public recognition - workers on highway
construction who are hit by careless drivers; the ones who clean up after
storms and try to restore services by handling hot lines; coal diggers who
have died so we could have heat and all the rest that comes from that
mineral; tunnel diggers and bridge builders, so our cars could get somewhere
faster; and so many others that I probably have never heard of. They may
have merited a line or two in the paper, or given no recognition at all
except by family members and a few friends.
I sit here in my warm, dry, comfortable home aware that, despite rain AT
LAST, after an exceptionally dry year here, there are still fires not
controlled in this area, and in so many other places in our country - which
means there are many more who continue to risk their lives for our sakes.
Then, along with remembering the death of 3, the same paper this morning
reports the death of a child, killed in her own bedroom while doing
homework, from a stray bullet by a gun fired outside. A recent statistic
states that, in the USA, there have been more deaths by guns than in ALL of
the wars and other conflicts in which our nation has participated! Men (and
women) are fighting natural disasters like fires today, but how do we fight
this particular disaster?
With affection,
Del
Change of any sort requires courage.
