Thursday, October 2, 2014

October 2 – “Some pink and some more ARFF”

All of the fire fighters of Galveston Fore and Rescue kicked off the Month of October wearing their pink shirts in acknowledgment of Breast Cancer Awareness month.  I even had a chance to wear one my own when I made visits to stations four and Central.  If you see a fire fighter in pink this month, give him or her a word of thanks and remember the cause as well.

Something I forgot to mention yesterday about the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting conference.  A combined honor guard from Galveston and Houston fire departments kicked off the event.  They presented the colors and ax while a team of bagpipers and drummers (also from both units) provided musical accompaniment.  The pipes and drums added a moving rendition of Amazing Grace in honor of fallen fire fighters as well.  All in all, it was a moment that made me proud to be a part of the fire service.  Keep up the great work, guys.

I guess while I’m back at the conference I’ll share a little more from the speaker.  At one point he decided to give up his secrets for being an effective conference speaker.  He had three steps, all beginning with the letter E.  First, Energize.  Basically that means tell some funny stories or do something to get everyone’s attention.  Next was Engage.  Here he said it was important to do something that provided interactive fun with the listeners.  Finally was Enrich, or make your point.  It all sounded eerily familiar until I realized that it was pretty much the approach I take every week when I prepare teachings for church.  Guess I stumbled on something right. 

He also added two more of those adages that are supposed to work for everyone:

Be prepared, not paranoid.  And …

What you can see yourself doing, you will have the best results achieving.

1 Thessalonians 3:9 says, “How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?”

Father, thank you for the lives and commitment of all the fire fighters willing to wear pink for a month to support those who experience breast cancer.  Give our researchers some extra wisdom as they work to discover a cure.  Give the sufferers and their families a hug for you to assure them they are not alone.  Amen.

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