Mining community shows loyalty, love

When the people in the Huntington community spoke about their six trapped miners, "They're in there, and they know we are coming for them," that said it all. They showed us the most precious gifts humans possess. The Crandall Canyon Mine disaster is a story of courage, loyalty, love, dedication, faith, hope; it's about trust, and a commitment to family and community. It's the gift of life that each of us has, and it took the people of Huntington to show us how to live that gift one day at a time and never take it for granted.

While the miners who gave their lives committed to their fellow men showed us how to live and how to die, their families and friends showed us how to endure the pain of agony and fear. They showed us how to persevere with the power of hope and of caring for each other. The family members of the six trapped miners showed patience and understanding during the first few weeks, hearing only secondhand about the plight of their loved ones. They prayed, stood vigils, waited, waited and waited. What we saw were compliant people who live with openness, honesty and with "what you see is what you get." They trust because, in their way of life, their word is all that is needed. They are hard working, honest people who live by the rules. They assume that everyone lives that way.

They have shown us how important it is to enjoy each day as it unfolds. Many mentioned how comforting that hug is before miners go off to work. They cling to that hug as their loved one goes to work each day, knowing that tomorrow is not a given.

Though the workers know the danger and hard work, they do it without hesitation for the sake of their loved ones. Their families come first. In such dangerous work, a special bond is created among the workers because their lives depend upon each other every moment. Some of the miners referred to their co-workers as their "other family," since they spent so much time with them and relied on each other. So, when tragedy struck, instinctively their colleagues rushed to help. There was an immediate outpouring of prayers and sympathy for the miners and their loved ones around the state and nation. The generosity of Utahns was put into action. In times of crises, good leaders offer compassion, understanding and hope. Our governor seems to understand that. He was there.

We like to think that, as time goes on, the pain goes away, but it seldom does, and maybe it shouldn't. The pain never leaves.