Notes from a Rookie Firefighter...January 6, 2008

This is going to sound silly, but this weekend when we had our officer's party I had a "field of dreams" experience. I had the privilege of sharing the kitchen with one of our firefighters who is always the cook at events. I did what I had done when I cooked with my Dad, chopped, talked, let him talk, listened to stories, clean up and basically just learned.

I never knew when I joined the Fire Department that the people I would seek the most to hang out with are the people that remind me of my father. Not that my Dad would have ever in a million years become a firefighter, but to me each person that I spend time with has a little bit of my dad's personality in all of them. There's the religious person, the totally great and supportive fatherly type, the great shopper, the cook, and the one who just likes to sit with me and talk about old times.

Today I brought my daughter to residential treatment after a long road, and believe me we had much drama this weekend. I keep holding onto the word faith and the word believe. I have to think I was made to do certain things for a reason, and the road I'm walking down now is paved by my father somehow with the support I'm getting at the firehouse. I feel stronger because of it. Because of it all.