Thoughts, Prayers, and Mining
Well…my dad is a federal mine inspector for MSHA, so he has been working on the rescue at Crandall Canyon Mine. This isn’t a new experience for him; he was on the mine rescue team during the Wilburg mine disaster in the 80’s.
As I have checked my phone people have texted or called to offer their prayers and thoughts for my dad and those that are trapped in the mine. It means a lot to me for sure.
The things that the rescue team has done in order to save the trapped miners is insane. The places that these men have crawled have reporters who have spent time in Iraq and Afghanistan saying it is the scariest thing they have ever witnessed.
I am from Price, Utah and have many family members that have been or are coal miners. My great-grandfather came over from Southern Italy to mine. He lived in the small town of Sunnyside, Utah. Both of my grandfathers worked in the mine. Of course my dad did as well and many of his brothers too.
I can remember times growing up where we would be on vacation and hear about a mine fire or death of a miner that was at a mine that my dad worked or just have my dad come home and tell me about someone that was killed or seriously injured. It is something that happens because it is a dangerous profession. Actually, people close to me like my little league baseball coach have died in a mine accidents.
One of the reasons there are so many people that work under such duress and in these conditions was brought to my attention by my dad. He informed me that in the 1970’s miners made as much as most professions that required a college degree. Fortunately, my dad taught me, due to his experience, that I could have a future with unlimited potential and that physical labor may not create the highest value for who I was. Now I don’t say that to degrade miners, but I do want to point out the importance of Soul Purpose. There may be people that mine with passion and have absolutely no fear while doing it, but for many it is a choice about the easy path to make money (in the short run). Making that money has a very high cost though- as we have seen with this mine disaster.
My dad actually spends so much less time in dangerous situations because he took a very hard route when I was a teenager. He went back to school and got a degree that allowed him to move to mine inspection. This was the hard-easy route. It would have been easier in the moment to stay in underground mining, but what would that look like long-term- very hard. Now, he loves the job (even if it is federal). Fortunately, I was able to recruit my mom away from the government, but not my dad just yet.
I want to acknowledge and thank my father for talking with me as a young man. We discussed the possibilities beyond the physical realm of mining. As I said before, mining is a noble, yet dangerous profession. Black Lung, physical ailments due to the strenuous work, and layoffs during cycles made mining less than desirable for me. We all have a mind and through Soul Purpose can create massive value. There is a higher realm when follow your Soul Purpose. It is worth it and makes all the difference.
My thoughts and prayers go to the miners and their families. This is a difficult situation with people being killed and the uncertainty of the status of the trapped miners.
Most of the time though, I have been thinking of my dad. Last night I was able to talk with him and I had a very direct conversation with him. I will talk about it in my next blog.