Gratitude Shout Out

After reading all the 9/11 posts yesterday and remembering I felt more than a little sheepish at my post about "poor, poor, pitiful, me."
There are so many people who serve without any notice but I wanted to give a specific shout out to my local volunteer firemen and women. I had made yearly financial contributions but really didn't think much about them. Then my forest caught on fire. A couple of things you should know. My driveway "S" curves up the steep side of a hill--the Fed Ex guy even calls us and asks us if we will meet him at the bottom to get our packages. And it is only barely wide enough for 1 car to pass and is not paved or even graded very well. My hill is 20 acres of completely wooded land and the fire, of course, was started on the side of the hill that my children lovingly call--Dead Man's Drop. So you can imagine my alarm when the Fire Chief knocked on my door and told me I needed to be prepared to evacuate! I hadn't even noticed the smoke--our house sits back in the woods quite a ways. (You would think we were anti-social hermits or something) So I got dressed (visitors are rare--I live in Jammie's) and jumped on a 4 wheeler and went to check it out. As I surveyed the scene I was amazed and moved to tears. Here were all these men and women, sweating and clinging to the side of Dead Man's Drop--fighting a fire that was getting the best of them with all their might--for someone only a few of them knew. (What kind of idiot builds a house on top of a hill surrounded by trees and virtually no road anyways??!!) They all have "day jobs" but when the call comes in--they leave work or their families and run to serve. Selfless hearts and willing hands--all of them. I LOVE my local fire department--which reminds me--I need to take some brownies down......
I have also found a new FABULOUS FIND blogger. Her name is Pam and I want to grow up to be just like her! I just found her so I am still going through her older posts but the first thing that really grabbed me about this great woman was what she put on her profile under interests----HELPING OTHERS--that's it--why isn't that my first response when someone asks my interests?! Why is my first response to tell everyone how nifty I am with all my cool interests?! I hope Pam doesn't think I am an out of control freaky stalker--it was just such an ah--hah moment for me. I think that is the exact same thing the Saviour would put if He was asked what His interests were. So one of my new goals is to put my life more in line with the Savior's by working to make my first response--helping others. Pam also posted this incredible talk she wrote today on reaching for the Saviour AND her sense of humor is the milk spewing out your nose kind of wonderful!! You have got to check her out---- http://coloradomcewens.blogspot.com/

I am off to deliver a pot of homemade caramel over to my friends house. She is the President of the Music Association and they sell sliced up apples in a dish of caramel at all the football games. She is amazing and I can't wait till it's my turn to help her--she ALWAYS makes me laugh. I think I will make another pot of caramel and take pictures and post them--this stuff is to die for--hmmmmmm.......