It is April 3, 2014.
In front of us, the three seats of row 17 are occupied by 4. Two are search dogs from FEMA of Ohio and the
other two are their handlers, two women.
The four are on their way to the mudslide in Oso, Washington to search
for the missing. In the row behind us
sits a woman who has lost a relative in the disaster. The dogs blend silently into the floor. The women read and doze. The dogs show no interest in the rest of us
or what we are doing. They are working
dogs, trained in a specialty and they will begin their jobs tomorrow at dawn. Few on this plane know they are even here
with us. At some point, the woman who
has lost a relative in the mudslide in Oso thanks the handlers for what they
are about to undertake. She tells them
of her relative. It is not possible to
hold back the tears.
art by:Cheryl A. Hufnagel, Shoreline, Washington www.cherylahufnagel.com
