look around for hope. We strain our eyes to see the light, but all we see is darkness.

Then we catch a glimpse of it. Just a flicker at first. A faint glow; a subtle change in contrast. Light. Not the brilliant come-from-heaven light, but a light that shines from ordinary people like you and me. A reminder that there help; there is hope.

Jesus told us a couple of things about light. He said, “I am the light of the world.” He also said, “You are the light of the world.” I pray this Christmas that the Light of the World

(Continued on page 2)

L ook! Listen! The sounds and sights of the season are

evident everywhere. Songs held in cue until after Thanksgiving fill the airwaves. Displays of Christmas lights bring a festive glow to stores and neighborhoods.

But one display is missing. If you’ve been around Central Florida for any length of time, you’ve probably had the joy of experiencing the over 5 million lights that make up the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights. Located in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the display was an annual event that came to the park

in 1995. But the 10 miles of lighting that used 800,000 watts of electricity were turned off on January 6, 2016 leaving the world just a bit darker.

It was to a dark world that God sent His brightest light. The prophet Isaiah wrote about it this way, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”

In many ways, we are living in a land of deep darkness today. There’s trouble in our world, trouble in our towns, trouble in our hearts. We look around for help; we

HONOR

COLUMN

The following

firefighters died in

the line of duty

during the month

of November

11/4

David E. Carr

Winthrop, NY

11/10

Kendall J. Murphy

Montgomery, IN

11/11

Scott A. Compton

Greenfield, IN

11/27

Robert A. Fitch

Herkimer, NY

81 firefighters have

died in the line of

duty this year

Christmas Lights

December 2017

P A G E 2

would shine brilliantly in your heart; that you would experience the glow of God’s love and the warmth of His presence. I also pray that you would allow His light to shine through you to brighten a dark world.

Click here to see the final moments of the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.

(Continued from page 1)

Recently, somewhere in the middle of the Caribbean, a group gathered to provide comfort for

children in an unusual way. The Crochet Crowd is an international, online community with a

Facebook page of over 1.9 million followers. Several years ago, the online community began

meeting in person. The location? Cruise ships! Each cruise completes blankets for Project Linus

which focuses on providing comfort to children in need.

Kim Rowland of Ocala was part of a recent Crochet Crowd cruise. “We were given homework of

completing 4 squares prior to coming on the cruise. Each crocheter then collected 4 squares, not

their own, from 4 different participants. We were then taught the skill of combining fleece backing to

the 4 combined squares. Now each blanket has the care and love of 5 participants. At the end of the

week we completed 150 blankets. Blankets were divided up and sent home with cruisers to distribute

to comfort children in their communities.”

Blankets have been given to the Children’s Emergency Room at Munroe Regional Medical Center,

as well as A Helping Hand Charity Outreach, both located in Ocala.

Comfort for Kids

P A G E 3

You’ve heard it said, “perception is reality.” Actually, reality is

reality. That being said, there are times when an inaccurate or

incomplete perception can distort reality. In turn, this can lead

one to a incorrect conclusion which may impact the way an

event is processed.

All this leads to cognitive reframing, which is an attempt to help

someone dealing with a critical incident more accurately

understand what happened and how the event affects them.

Click here for a comic look at keeping things in perspective.

CISM Training Assisting Individuals in Crisis AND

Group Crisis Intervention

For more information and to register visit

www.firerescuesupport.com

Want to host CISM training at your agency?

Contact Joe at 352-425-1643 or

joe@firerescuesupport.com

Each month we’ll discuss a

topic related to crisis

intervention. We hope this

will serve as a refresher for

those who have been

trained, as well as

something to create interest

for those who have not.

Panama City

January 16-18

Ocala

March 13-15

Winter Garden

March 27-29

Cognitive Reframing

Amazon Donates to Charity P A G E 4

For eligible purchases at Amazon Smile, the Amazon Smile

Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price to the

customer’s selected charitable organization. You can make Fire

Rescue Support your organization by clicking here. Then every

time you order through the Amazon Smile website you’ll be

helping Fire Rescue Support continue its mission of supporting

fire rescue personnel before, during and after the call.

Thank You! Thanks for your partnership with Fire Rescue Support.

Because of you, we have the opportunity to support fire

rescue personnel before, during and after the call. Visit

www.firerescuesupport.com for more information or to

donate. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram.

And please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of

assistance personally or professionally. You can reach me

at 352-425-1643 or joe@firerescuesupport.com.

Connect with Fire Rescue Support

12647 SE 102nd Avenue

Belleview, FL 34420

352-425-1643

info@firerescuesupport.com

www.firerescuesupport.com

E very day the men and women who serve

as fire rescue personnel put their lives on

the line for their communities. The work

they do is full of unique challenges like

dealing with extreme physical conditions and

coping first hand with human tragedy. Often

these challenges take a toll on their well-being

and put incredible strain on their relationships.

In addition, the people that fire rescue

personnel serve are many times experiencing

the worst day of their lives. As they struggle

through their personal tragedies, they are faced

with the task of rebuilding their lives and going

forward.

I magine an organization committed to one

task – supporting fire rescue personnel.

From their work in the field to their lives at

home, picture an organization working to

equip these first responders to be more

successful on the job and in life. Envision an

organization that extends the support of those

serving in fire rescue by offering care and

comfort to the people they serve. Finally,

picture an organization that would impact

emergency services workers all across the

country. That organization is Fire Rescue

Support – supporting fire rescue personnel

before, during and after the call.

P A G E 5