Thin Lines.

“What does this picture mean?”

Like dominos, I watched the red line grow against the pitch black night. Separated by distance, the silent images became a virtual anthem against the searing pain. An unspoken statement that drew close a first responder family bound by honor, loyalty and family.

What does it mean?

The Thin Red Line of Courage “represents the last ounce of courage firefighters find deep in their blood to conquer their darkest fears in order to save and protect life and property.” The blood red line stands strong against the darkest hour, a reminder that men and women who respond to the call are forced to face their own fears and place their lives second to those they protect.

The Thin Blue Line – a silent vow of strength that is brother to the red line just as the red line is brother to blue – represents that razor thin place between life and death that Police Officers rise without question to walk every day. It is the line between order and chaos. Good and evil. Comfort and fear.

These are the lines that step forward – strong and defiant – when one falters or falls.

They are the lines that keep evil at bay. They are the lines that we run to and that we hide behind. They are the lines that we do not question and yet there are those that question their worth. They are the lines that face the greatest challenges and rise above them. They are the lines that stand for those left behind.

They are the lines that kiss their wives and their girlfriends, their husbands and their children and walk into peril and risk everything for strangers who do not care and those who do. They are the lines we blame for inconveniences and yet we look to them to cure our own.

What does it mean?

It means that a husband, a brother, a father, a son, a mother, a daughter, a wife, a partner and a soul mate was lost. It means that a thousand kisses goodnight will never be given, that a hand will be left unheld and that a laugh will fade.

It means that somewhere in the dark ashes an ember will glow and that a life lost will live eternally in hearts and memories. It means that, in a world where evil enters without warning and without consideration, something beautiful and brave and selfless still exists in the hearts and souls of those who dare to tread where others will not. It means that in the darkest hour, when we cannot fathom a deeper pain, hope and the spirit of human kind that these lost souls embodied will inspire us to be something greater than we already were and imagined that we could be.

It means that tragedy has struck and that we rise to stand with them.