THE BUILT IN REWARDS

                                                  THE BUILT IN REWARDS                                                         

 

I got a special note from an old firefighter friend the other day. If I was to list all of the times this man and I leaned on each other, on the job and off, this would take a long time to read. The times we laughed and cried together and yes, the times we prayed God would get us out of the calamity we were in. To be fair there were many of us that were drawn into that vocation that shared that mutual love and respect we had for each other.  There seems to be a special bond that develops amongst people who have had to endure the things we did together. The things that we saw and felt together also over our years of service.

 

I know that our friendship is a fitting reward for our years of service together. Not notoriety or 

pensions but a life time of friendships that knew no bounds. I remember a time as a Chief 

officer, towards the end of my career, when I was offered a higher rank up. But at the 

time with retirement looming, I could only think about how that would alienate me from the 

firefighters. In the end I gave up the rank I did have, to get humble and go back to my roots 

with the people I loved so much. I never regreted that move.

 

I think of other vocations that people have chosen in their lives and the similarity’s that are drawn between their years of service and the fire service. The military, Law enforcement, Nurses and Doctors, Clergy, the list goes on. Their lives too, are filled with the camaraderie and days I experienced spent in the trenches together.

 

I once went ice fishing with a Police Officer friend of mine, a Catholic Priest from our church and a friend to all of us that was a writer and a printer. As the four of us sat in the fish house that day talking, I quipped, “We should be ready for any emergency. We have a cop, a fireman and a priest.” My friend who was the cop looked over at our friend the printer who had been left out of the quip, looking down the hole quietly and said. “And a writer and a printer who could tell the world about us.” I felt sheepish about what I had said but I took it as a lesson that were all so important in this life. We need to look for and strive to see the good works in all of us.

 

I guess what I am really trying to say is this. Sometimes in life, the humblest amongst us is the one we should be emulating. Yes, uniforms and ribbons and badges can be kind recognition and

they may buy you respect to some degree but they will never buy you the kind of friendship we all strive for. For in the end as old age takes over the memories of our past work and action we once shared, they become dimmer and dimmer but the memories we will never forget are those who strived to be your friend because they truly liked you no matter who you were. They were there when you were nothing and they will be there for you, until this life is over. 

 

I want to share a story with you of a man whose wife became disabled with dementia in their later years. Soon it became apparent that he was going to need specialized care for her so he had her put into a memory care unit in a care center. But he went in there with her, even though he wasn’t ill himself. He had to sell most of his possessions because the place they had in the care unit was so small. Could I do that? I’m not sure but I know this. That is the epitome of friendship love and devotion.