On Sunday, November 8, one of our firefighters died after a long battle with cancer. He was not someone I personally knew very well, but I do work closely with several of his good friends. So the sadness of his passing was very real to me because of the pain I knew they were experiencing. He had a rare kind of cancer, and was only 43 when he died.
Yesterday, I was privileged to participate in the full fire department tribute which was part of the memorial service. The fire service has many traditions and rituals, and this is just one of them. This was truly one of the most special days of my life. So although I’m usually very cautious about giving out too much personal information on this blog, I really want to share this experience with those of you who follow me regularly.
Terence was a member of a crew from Station 21. So Engine 21, draped in mourning bunting, lead the procession through our city to the Temple B'nai Torah which was in a neighboring city. I was in the second vehicle behind E21. It was amazing and touching to look in the rear view mirror and see all the flashing red lights that seemed to go for miles.
The service at the Temple was very sad...as I'm sure you can imagine, his parents and children are devastated. At the same time, it was so uplifting. The camaraderie and caring of the members of the fire service reminded me why I love my job. Some firefighters came from hundreds of miles away, even from Canada. The service was a celebration of Terence's life.
RIP Terence...your brothers and sisters in the fire service will miss you.
Thank you for your thoughts and I'm sad to hear of your loss. Celebration of life is the key.
ReplyDeletewell, now my morning cry is out of the way.
ReplyDeletethank you for sharing that
so very sorry for the loss to your community!