The girl’s father, doing all he can to physically hold up his wife as they watch the fire fighters pull apart the car their only daughter crumpled around the tree.

The tears of a worried mother who can do nothing for her lifeless baby except let the nurse and doctor work.

The shaking hand of an elderly man trying to be calm in the hurricane which hit an hour before when his wife’s stroke manifested.

The disbelief on the face of a young wife, holding an infant as the physician explains why her young, sick husband needs a breathing tube.

The fear overtaking a son as he stares at his father from the doorway of the trauma bay, trying not to breathe the unforgettable smell of burned skin.

The anxiety of the flight nurse, hidden beneath her deliberate movements, direct questions, and professional confidence as she tries to give realistic hope to the family and lifesaving care to her patient.

I am grateful for every moment I am given with those I love.

“Please, do everything you can. She is all I have. Treat her like she was your own family.”

. . . be certain that I always do.