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.