creation

The Creation Of The

Fire Fighter

When the Lord was creating fire fighters, He was into His sixth

day of overtime when an angel appeared and said, "You're

doing a lot of fiddling around on this one."

And the Lord said, "Have you read the specifications on this

person? Fire fighters have to be able to go for hours fighting

fires or tending to a person that the usual everyday person

would never touch, while putting in the back of their minds

the circumstances. They have to be able to move at a second's

notice and not think twice of what they are about to do, no

matter what the danger. They have to be in top physical

condition at all times, running on half-eaten meals, and they

must have six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her head slowly and said, "Six pairs of

hands...no way." "It's not the hands that are causing the

problems," said the Lord. "It's the three pairs of eyes a

fire fighter has to have."

"That's on the standard model?" asked the angel. The Lord

nodded. One pair of eyes to see through the fire and where

their fellow fire fighters should fight the next fire. Another pair

here in the side of the head to see their fellow fire fighters and

and keep them safe. And another pair in the front so that they

can look for the victims caught in the fire who need their help.

"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve,"rest and work on

this tomorrow." "I can't." said the Lord, "I already have a

model that can carry a 250- pound man down a flight of

stairs to safety from a burning building, and can feed a

family of five on a civil service paycheck."

The angel circled the model of the fire fighter very slowly, "Can

it think?" "You bet," said the Lord. "They can tell you the

elements of a hundred fires and recite procedures in their

sleep that are needed to care for a person until they reach the

hospital. And all the while they have to keep their wits about

about them. Fire fighters also have phenomenal personal control.

They can deal with a scene full of pain and hurt, coaxing a

child's mother into letting go of the child so that they can

care for the child in need. And they rarely get the recognition

for a job well done from anybody, other than from fellow fire

fighters." Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger

across the cheek of the fire fighter. "There's a leak," she

pronounced. "Lord, it's a tear. What's the tear for?"

"It's a tear for all the bottled-up emotions for fallen

comrades. A tear for commitment to that funny piece of

cloth called the American flag. It's a tear for all the pain and

suffering they have encountered. And it's a tear for their

committitment to caring for and saving lives of their fellow Man."

"What a wonderful feature. Lord, you're a genious,"said the

angel. The Lord looked somber and said, "I didn't put it there."