What year for weather!

It began with an unusually mild winter, but seemed pleasant enough at the time, until the coal layoffs began to hit.

Then, the unthinkable happened, when a killer tornado swept across Eastern Kentucky, redefining what we thought was possible.

Summer was fairly uneventful, but now we’re not even halfway through autumn, and there’s already snow on the jack-o-lanterns.

What’s next?

Hard to say, but whatever the skies hold in store for us, this week’s “Frankenstorm” scare reminded us how thankful we all should be, particularly for the men and women who are just a moment’s notice away from lending a hand when the power goes out or the creeks get too high.

No matter what Mother Nature throws at us, we take for granted that someone will be there to help. Every time there is a disaster or emergency, we learn of these nameless, faceless people’s heroics. It might be a local, state or federal government worker. It might be a volunteer, soldier or private employee. It might be someone who never expected to be in a position to save a life. Someone is always there.

In fact, it is hard to imagine a world in which a person in need of assistance cannot count on someone coming to his or her aid.

That’s not really news, but it is something that is often forgotten, particularly when day-to-day fears of crime or the ugly bickering of extraordinarily bitter election fights so frequently seem to drive wedges between us and exaggerate the worst in each of us. It is worth noting that, for all our faults, the human race has a remarkable propensity for sacrificing to help each other out.

— The Floyd County Times