What he does

Cody sent me this email today. It was sent to him by someone in the Fire Department. Have a read...

I wish you could know what it is like to search a burning bedroom for trapped children at
3:00 AM, flames rolling above your head, your palms and knees burning as you crawl, the floor sagging under your weight as the kitchen below you burns.

I wish you could comprehend a wife's horror as I check her husband of 40 years for a pulse and find none. I start CPR anyway hoping to bring him back, knowing intuitively it is
too late, but wanting his wife and family to know everything possible was done to try and save his life.

I wish you knew the unique smell of burning insulation, the taste of soot-filled mucus, the feeling of intense heat through your turnout gear, the sound of flames crackling, the eeriness of being able to see absolutely nothing in dense smoke - sensations that I've become too
familiar with.

I wish you could know the frustration I feel in the cab of the Engine or Ambulance, my foot pressed on the gas pedal, as you fail to yield the right-of-way at an intersection or in traffic. When you need me however, your first comment upon my arrival will be, "It took you forever to get here!"

I wish you could know how it feels to walk in the back door and greet my parents and family, not having the heart to tell them that I nearly did not come back from the last call.

I wish you could feel the hurt as people verbally and sometimes physically abuse us or belittle what we do, or as they express their attitudes of "It will never happen to me". I wish you could realize the physical, emotional and mental drain of missed meals, lost sleep and forgone social activities ... in addition to all the tragedy my eyes have seen.

I wish you could know the brotherhood and self-satisfaction of helping save a life or preserving someone's property, or being able to be there in time of crisis, or creating order from total chaos.

Unless you have lived with this kind of life, you will never truly understand or
appreciate who I am, what we are, or what our job really means to us...

I wish you could.



Here are my thankfuls...

1 - That Cody is a Firefighter. I am so proud of him and what he does.
2 - That Cody makes me feel so safe. Even when we were dating, I always felt so safe with him. I love knowing that he will always be able to take care of me and our family.
3 - That Cody cares so much. He is truly the most giving and selfless person I have ever known.
4 - That Cody loves what he does for a living.
5 - That Cody comes home safely to me after every shift.