Touch someone

Tonight, I have again been humbled and honored to participate in something bigger than myself…

Sometime during a morning around the end of September 2001, New York Paramedic Dale Barrett tossed aside the worn tatters of his work gloves, and pulled on a new pair that was passed to him.

Stapled on the cuff was a note with the words “DAVYIAN 4TH GRADE TOPEKA”, written roughly in permanent marker. Barrett pulled the note off and pushed it into the pocket of his pants. Then he turned and began to pull at the debris he was standing on.

Sometime during a morning in October, I checked my Groupwise and found an e-mail from someone outside our offices among the several waiting to be read. I am the webmaster (design) for our company, and feedback from outsiders is always a welcome treat.

I read the e-mail, and my heart swelled. I let out a little giggle. It was from a paramedic with FDNY who received a pair of gloves with a student’s name on them. He wanted to reach the student to thank him or her, and hoped that I could help him.

As I read and reread the e-mail, my heart continued to swell, but my emotions ran from giddy to humble. A fireman working in the WTC debris pile had stopped to say “thanks” to a child half way across the country.

I consulted a few databases, did a few searches, then placed a couple of phone calls. Within half an hour, I had located the student’s class. I replied with the school’s phone number and address along with the principal’s name.

Then I shared the e-mail with several of my coworkers, and we shared a moment of awe and wonder.

Tonight, I was something of an honored guest at a reception at the school for Mr. Barrett.

The student’s class had sent gloves to the WTC site as their contribution to a better world. Mr. Barrett closed that circle, initiating a long-distance friendship with the students, culminating in the teacher arranging for free airfair, lodging, transportation, and meals for Paramedic Barrett for 4 days.

Every day he’s been in town this week, Dale has eaten a complimentary meal at one of several restaurants in town, along with 5-6 different students from the class. Tonight was a somewhat formal reception; tomorrow afternoon, he will fly home.

I am told that he has been asking about me since he arrived. He believes I am “the one” who made all of this possible, as I connected him with Davyian, and Mrs. Cook’s class. To him, I am a hero.

I was one of the last people at the reception to shake his hand. It was good to shake his hand; it was good to touch him. To me, he is a hero. Not just because he bore the unbearable, but because he ALSO took the time to say thank you to a child.

I was able to spend a couple of final minutes with just him and I after everyone had left – we were the last people to go to our vehicles. I made a little small talk with him about my interest in Emergency Services and Emergency Management. He gave me some broad pointers, and told me in general terms what its like. Then he encouraged me to “at least give it a try”.

I shook his hand for what must have been the 7th or 8th time. He is “good people”. I didn’t want to, but I finally said goodbye.

He even told me that he had brought some gifts for me from NYC. He holds me in such high esteem. I don’t understand it – my task, my whole involvement took no more than 30 minutes. I was just doing the very basics of my job.

Then I understood. Then it clicked.

I have heard from interviews on the news and from others in EMS that the workers at the WTC and the Pentagon do not feel like heros – at least not for working those disaster sites. They feel they are simply doing their job, the same job they do every day.

Maybe THATS what makes them heros.

They bear the unbearable, and they do it with the same valor and the same professionalism as they do every day of their career.

And it makes a difference.

It makes a difference to the families of the victims.

It makes a difference to a class of children one thousand miles away.

And it makes a difference to a communications specialist who happened to answer an email.

I made a difference.

I made a difference to a classroom of children on the other side of town.

I made a difference to a paramedic one thousand miles away.

And I made a difference to a company of men and women, who happened to answer a call.

Praise you, Lord, for allowing my simple, humble service. Amen.