sharing your survivor story

It was with much hope that the search and rescue for the six trapped miners began in a Utah mine, but it has ended with three deaths and others hurt. Another cave in and now the rescue efforts may cease altogether. Our hearts go out to everyone involved. How sad.

How brave someone must be to go miles underground to rescue those who are trapped from a previous cave in. Although the risks had been assessed, a shift in the mountain resulted in death.

Gary Jensen's and Dale Black's families have been altered forever. Since the country has shared in this tragedy in a collective sense how would you help them grieve on an individual basis?

If the loved ones of those lost were sitting in a room with you now, what would you do or say? The answer is simple--Listen. Let them talk and tell about their loved ones that have been taken from them by Mother Nature, circumstance, or happenstance.

Time will tell how all of this ends, but the time to listen is always sooner rather than later. Our prayers are that this tragedy brings them closer together instead of driving them farther apart. Peace.

It was a speech in Canton, Ohio and during the induction into the Pro-Football Hall of Fame when a retired Detroit Lion player talked about loss. No not a loss to another team or in the Super Bowl or a loss of skills that brought about an early retirement.

But this person spoke of the loss that is forever, a loss of a parent. This former player spoke of a loss that never went away. He told of watching other players mouth the words "hi mom" into the TV camera after making a great play or when the camera featured them. Words this person had never been able to say because his mom had died when he was two. There was no mom to say hi to.

And so this man on this day, on this momentous occasion, uttered those words, "hi mom" because he was sure that she was looking down on him.

And, since my mom died when I was four, I too want to say, "hi mom".