F is for Faith

Faith: Confident belief.



 

Johnny thought back through his life wondering just what that word actually meant to him. There had been a lot of times when faith wasn’t something he really believed in.

He had faith in his mother. She was always there for him, no matter how bad things were and they could get pretty bad. Then she died when he was just a boy, not even a teenager.

He had faith in his father. Johnny knew that his father would always protect him and more importantly, teach him how to protect himself. But he died before Johnny could celebrate his fourteenth birthday.

After that, he didn’t have much faith in anything or anyone except himself.

Until…

“Ah, Johnny,” his Aunt Rose said. They were standing outside Central High after his graduation. “Eighteen and a high school graduate. Now, what are your plans? You’re old enough to support yourself. I took you in after my brother died because no one else wanted you, but now I’m moving to Arizona where the weather is warmer. The cold winters here are hard on an old person.”

Johnny wrinkled his brow. “I…when are you leaving?”

“Day after tomorrow. Rent is paid until the end of the month, then you’ll have to find somewhere else to live.”

He didn’t even wait ‘til the end of the month. On June 8th, he packed what he absolutely needed, clothes, canned goods, a few personal items left to him by his parents, and the money he had saved doing odd jobs around the neighborhood, loaded up the old truck he had fixed up, and headed to Los Angeles.

If the only person he had faith in was himself, well then it was up to him to make the best life he could. He couldn’t help the smile on his face as images of red engines and fire played in his head. He was going to be a fireman!
 

***

It was 1972. It had taken time and a lot of work and effort but he had realized his dream. He held the letter that started “Congratulations” and contained the first station he was going to work out of…110s. He had heard good things about the crew there and he found that it was all true. They were brothers. They faced the same dangers, worked the same schedule and learned to trust one another.

Faith.

And that is how he found himself thinking of his faith on a hot summer evening. The fire wasn’t that big…at first. Then the explosion happened and Johnny found himself lying on a hard, concrete floor with fire and debris all around. He tried to move but something was holding his body still, something heavy that prevented any movement.

He called out but no one answered. Handie-Talkie, where was it? Well, darn it, it was just out of reach.

“Okay,” he said aloud, even though no one else was there to hear him. “They know I was in here so they’ll come looking for me soon.”

He had faith in his crewmates. Faith that they would find him and get him out safely.

He had faith. He smiled. It felt good, faith did.

“Gage, you okay? Boy, you gave us a scare. We’ll get you out. Come on, guys, let’s get the kid out of here.”

Yep, it felt mighty good.

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