My Thoughts On A Sad Tragedy.........

Most of you know that I grew up in the same coal fields as those killed in that horrible disaster in southern WV. My brother actually worked with one of those men. My heart breaks for the families of those that have lost loved ones and I know that the entire community for each grieves. Miners are a close knit brotherhood, much like firemen or policemen...They know the dangers that lie inside a mountain of coal each time they go underground, just like a firemen knows a building is burning, he doesn't let that stop him, he proudly does his job....

I know what it's like to wait by a phone when you've heard of an accident and I know what its like to meet a ambulance at the Emergency Room, hoping for the best...My Grandfathers were coal miners, my Daddy was a coal miner, so are my brothers, and numerous family members....I remember when I was a teenager and Daddy would talk about how high the mine was...24 inches...I couldn't image working for 8-12 hours Monday-Saturday in the dark in 24 inches (that's the height of a coffee table), you eat in that, go to the bathroom in that and work hard in that, you don't come out until your shift is over....A lot of people around here (Atlanta) always ask me why people live that kind of life...it's simple...It's a way of life in Appalachia, a way to support your family and the only thing that most know. And one they take a great deal of pride in.. There's an old saying "When a boy becomes a man, slap a shovel in his hands"....

I'm proud of my mining heritage, when I was a little girl I thought every bodies Daddy was a coal miner...I spoke to my family yesterday, they were telling me about the protesters standing only a few yards away from the families awaiting news of loved, environmentalist holding signs that said things like, "Let them burn"...Fools that don't realize without people like these who risk their life everyday they wouldn't be able to flip a switch and have electricity at night....This broke my Daddy's heart...When I drive home to visit my family, the last two hours of the trip are filled with me passing coal mine after coal mine...When I start seeing those mines I get my second wind...Because after a long drive, I know I'm almost home...It's sad that protesters used that as their opportunity, and wanted to stand next to family with those horrible signs...As for me, I will mourn the loss of these men and keep their families in my prayers. Such a sad tragedy indeed....