While I'm Safe and Warm at Home

This evening, as I chopped tomatoes for the salad, stirred the creamed corn, and smelled the delicious aroma of pork roast coming from my oven, I watched the light fade from the sky (so early these days!) and the mercury fall in the thermometer outside my kitchen window.  And I thought, "I am SO GLAD I don't have to go anywhere tonight.  On this cold, cold night that feels like fall is playing a trick on us and vacating early, there's no place I'd rather be than right here at home, safe and warm, with my family around me."

Then I felt an uneasy twinge as I remembered all those who do have to be away from their cozy homes on this night and many others like it.  My heart filled up, and gratitude spilled out.

Thank you, police officers, who go through the dark, cold night, keeping us safe from drunk drivers, protecting women who are being beaten by their irate boyfriends, disregarding your own safety as you respond to all those who call for help.  I appreciate you.

Thank you, emergency room doctors, who stand ready to help whoever walks through the doors.  Never knowing what a night shift might bring you, you listen to a child's worrisome cough, stitch up the head of a college boy who got in a stupid, alcohol-induced fight, and set the broken bones of a victim in an automobile accident.  I appreciate you.

Thank you, cashiers at 7-11 and Sheetz, who enable late-night travelers to make it all the way home without running out of gas.  I appreciate you.

Thank you, firefighters, who, before you begin your shift, kiss your wives and children goodbye without knowing if you'll see them again, because when the rest of the world runs out, you run in.  I appreciate you.

Thank you, nurses in the hospital, who quietly walk through the hushed halls of each floor, bringing medicine to those who need it, monitoring the machines which tell by their buzzes and beeps how a critically injured patient is doing, patiently answering the call button for the umpteenth time even when you're pretty sure Mrs. Smith just hit it by accident.  I appreciate you.

Thank you, city workers, who work to repair a broken stoplight, prepare for hazardous road conditions, or follow-up on calls about a power outage.  I appreciate you.

Thank you, stockers at Walmart, who use the less-crowded hours of the night to refill the shelves with the bread and cheese and bananas and oregano that the next morning's customers will rush in to buy.  I appreciate you.

Thank you, truck drivers, who adjust your body rhythms to all kinds of sleeping habits, often driving through the dark, lonely night from one place to the other, making daytime traffic less congested.  I appreciate you.

Thank you, midwives, who, at a moment's notice, leave your warm beds to go to the aid of a woman who's about to become a mother, sometimes spending hours with her before the baby is born, comforting her through some of the hardest moments of her life, using a soothing voice even when hers becomes harsh, sharing the struggle until at last joy breaks forth.  I appreciate you.

Thank you, dispatchers, who ensure that, at any time of the day or night, if I call 911, I'll be greeted by a calm, reassuring, helpful voice.  I appreciate you.

Thank you, rescue squad volunteers, who serve (so many of you around here) without pay, who quickly pull on clothes and venture out into the cold night when the call goes out, who offer assistance in situations from a heart attack to a car crash to a baby whose congestion has worsened and who is straining for breath, and who then, after delivering the patient to the hospital, stumble back into bed with only a few hours before the alarm goes off and you have to leave for your "real job."  I appreciate you.

To all those who leave home and family behind and go forth to serve so that I can stay safely and warmly here with mine, thank you.  I don't say it enough, but tonight I'm acutely aware of it.  Be assured that your sacrifices are noticed...and appreciated.

THANK YOU.