A post from Michele, honoring firemen everywhere.
Her father was a fireman. She eloquently describes her “moment of realization” as a child:
[My father] was, at that time, a volunteer firefighter on Long Island, in addtion to his paid position in the city. One evening, a huge grocery store went up in flames. My mother and the rest of the firemen’s wives had the duty of bringing coffee and other drinks to the firemen. Hey, it was the 70′s. Women did that sort of thing without question.
So mom packed us up into the car and we went to watch the Big Apple grocery store burn down. I thought it would be fun and exciting. Instead, it was terrifying. I watched the roof collapse. I watched the building crumble underneath the flames. I watched as firemen kept going in, towards the flames instead of away from them. What kind of idiot goes into a burning building? A brave one, I suppose.
Shortly after that, a volunteer fireman from my father’s company died in the line of duty. My father’s chosen profession suddenly took on a different tone for me. I never thought about the death part. I never even considered the fact that one day he might not come home from work. I went to bed that night angry. How could my father be so selfish that he would risk his life to save strangers and their property when he had kids and a wife at home who needed him? A small voice in my head replied: That’s not selfish. It’s selfless.
I saw the picture on the front page of the New York Times today, and my jaw dropped at the sight. It is a terrifying photograph. Terrifying.
I thought of those men, those human beings, who appear almost as specks in the photograph. Those brave men – dwarfed by this catastrophe almost beyond their control – and yet there they are, lined up along a fire hose, facing the inferno.
Again, as I have said time and time again, my brain goes blank almost when faced with such men.
I don’t know what to say, how to thank them … how to carve out enough space in my heart for my humility, my gratitude.
Go read all of Michele’s post. She finds the words.
That was, without a doubt, the best tribute to ALL rescue workers I’ve ever read. I’ve copied it and sent it to all the firefighters and cops I know and they loved it, too.