Fire Tragedy Kills Ohio Family

A 29-year-old mother and her three children, including a four-year-old cancer survivor, died November 28 when fire swept through their two-story, three-bedroom rental house in Toledo, Ohio. Investigators said the fire resulted from the careless burning of candles and found no evidence of smoke detectors in the home. The Toledo Blade also reported the electricity had been turned off earlier in the day. The children included two girls ages 11 and 7, and the 4-year-old boy. Neighbors and firefighters were unable to enter the burning west side home in time to save the family. A fifth victim, a man who also lived in the home, survived the fire and was taken to a Toledo hospital where he initially was listed in serious condition.

Sadly, more fire tragedies like the one in Toledo will occur during the winter months and forever change the lives of families. Faced with higher heating costs, many families will not be adequately able to heat their homes and apartments. Using various sources of open flames, space heaters, stoves and ovens, and other devices to heat homes, will again lead to fire deaths.

Many fire officials suggest a home safety inspection, particularly for those people relocating to another residence. A neighbor who first reported the fire and attempted to enter the burning home said the fire victims moved into their rented Toledo residence only a few months ago.

The lack of properly functioning and properly placed smoke detectors helps lead to needless fire deaths worldwide. U.S. officials strongly encourage their citizens to ensure each residence has a working smoke detector. For decades, communities have spread the word about fire safety awareness and yet, there always are a number of people who do not heed the warnings.

You can help prevent the loss of lives and devastation to families this winter by ensuring your families and friends have properly working smoke detectors. Help ensure they have adequate and safe heating sources and that if needed, consider providing special assistance so improper heating and light sources are not used.

Most communities have resources and information available regarding heating assistance and fire safety protection programs. For those of you in need of a holiday gift idea -- consider giving your families, friends and perhaps a neighbor or two, a smoke detector and offer to install it for them. It may save lives and and help keep families together.

Many Minnesota Families Feel Tragedy

The tragedy came without warning and news quickly followed of the terrible bridge collapse in Minneapolis August 1. Though only four persons were confirmed dead, as many as 30 others were initially reported as missing. The following day, only eight persons were reported to be missing. Officials at the recovery scene expect the death toll to climb.

It is easy in our fast-paced world to get too comfortable. We simply fail to readily acknowledge how quickly lives can be taken from us. Families often come together when tragedy strikes. Perhaps the hidden tragedy is that some families do not close ranks until one of their own dies or becomes critically injured. Hug your family members and tell them you love them. We never know when that fateful and final moment will arrive -- for any of us.

Pleasure Boating Is Great Family Time Together

An estimated 73 million people enjoyed recreational boating in the USA last year and many of those people have returned to the waterways this year. Recreational boating is a great way for families to enjoy leisure time together.

It has been said that boating safety begins with the choices boaters make before leaving the dock. A group focus on boating safety needs to be made before leaving the launch ramp or marina.

The U.S. Coast Guard reports that nearly 700 people die in boating-related incidents each year. Most of those victims are drowning victims because they failed to wear or properly wear an approved life jacket while boating. An estimated 475 lives could be saved each year on our waterways if people were to adopt wearing a life jacket as their first choice for boating safety.

Unfortunately, about one-third of all boating-related accidents involve excessive alcohol consumption. Boating responsibly and following basic rules of boating safety that include wearing a life jacket and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption helps avoid the heartbreak some families endure each year when a loved one tragically dies in a boating accident.

A great family tradition that boaters can undertake is to attend an approved boating safety education class. Completing such a course helps to ensure boater safety on the water. It also can result in a boat insurance discount, but more importantly, it helps families stay safe and together for years to come. There are many great outdoors recreation opportunities to enjoy with family and friends. Enjoy them safely, responsibly and share them with your families.

Sundays In South Carolina

On a recent visit to the Beaufort, SC area one of the joyous moments came in watching children and their parents enjoy a warm, early spring afternoon at a local community park. The simple joys of life are many years behind some of us who could only wish perhaps, to once again enjoy an afternoon as a young child on a playground.

As you may think back to years past and perhaps to the days at hand, take the opportunity to share a brief note with us about your Family Sunday remembrances or current activities and we may soon ask for you to share more details.

john@familysundays.com

Spreading The Word About Family Sundays.com

Columbus recently hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, which provided a good opportunity to meet people from southern California, Illinois and Tennessee. I briefly shared my web site address and asked these nice people to visit the web site sometime soon. The UT alumni party at the Frog Bear & Bar was wonderful, too.

I utilized the same approach during a recent visit to River Street in the historic riverfront district of Savannah, Georgia and during a related stay in nearby Beaufort, South Carolina. As I met with these wonderful people, good friend and business associate Anthony Huey of Reputation Management Associates, Inc. in Columbus passed along the www.familysundays.com web site name during training seminars he conducted in other parts of the country.

The initial effort here is simply to spread the word about the web site, encourage as many people as possible to visit, and perhaps share some personal stories as part of my research on Family Sunday remembrances. --- JW

Aging Parents Still Wonderful Folks

As a Baby Boomer, the subject of aging parents ranks as a very high area of concern among many. I feel blessed in that my mother Katie will celebrate her 78th birthday this month and my father Bill will celebrate his 82nd birthday in July.

I recently opened and reviewed some of the contents of what might best be described as a time capsule of sorts. It was a box of old letters and photographs from my college years in the late 1970s. Among those contents saved were many letters sent to me then by my mother as well as my father. As I read several of these written by each parent 30 years ago, I again was reminded of the great love they have always had for their only son.

Their health is gradually fading and they remain somewhat active. My mother often can not remember what a person had said a moment or two earlier, but she has great memories of many years past. My father also is less active and remains alert. I thank my parents for the many great years we have shared, including many Family Sundays. And as we approach Mother's 78th birthday, I am also thankful for the past 48 years which I have been privileged to share and enjoy with them both.

JW

Family Sundays

Please visit our new web page at www.familysundays.com and share your stories.

JW

FamilySundays.com Launched

The new Family Sundays website is being launched this weekend and ties in nicely to the blog site. By visiting www.familysundays.com readers will be able to get more detailed information on the Family Sundays project. As the site design still needs a bit more refinement, my hope is that you will find it interesting. You can follow subject matter on Family Sundays now from the blog and the web site together.

JW