Prayers for the Utah Miners and Rescuers

I've been toying with the idea to write about this for awhile now, but I feel compelled to tonight as I am watching "Breaking News" on CNN. As I was watching my local news, they reported that ambulances and helicopters were at the Crandall Canyon mine. My first thought was hope, thinking that if ambulances were dispatched, that meant they must have survivors. Little did I know there may have been another collapse. Immediately flipping to CNN, I learned what is now going on.

HUNTINGTON, Utah (CNN) -- At least nine workers were hurt in Utah's Crandall Canyon mine Thursday evening where rescuers have been trying to reach six men trapped deep under ground.

Two helicopters seem a bit severe, but all I can do is pray for the injured rescuers, the trapped miners and the healthy rescuers who are still digging, drilling and searching.

I had decided not to write about this in my blog, feeling it had nothing to do with debt or finances or the like. But in all honesty, it does. No, it doesn't affect my debt personally, but for any of you who are miners, are married to miners or know any, you know that coal mining is a way of life. It is a way of life because it provides a good living. Yes, there is camaraderie between the miners and they become one another's second family, but they are mining to provide financially for their families at home.

Like many reporters have said over the past 11 days, it takes a special breed to become a coal miner. My community is composed of this special breed of men, but I am honestly thankful that my dad chose not to go into this profession. Kentucky may be known for horse-racing and bourbon, but the money - the old money - is from coal mining. I realize that any one of these tragedies could have struck close to home, and actually did last week with the mining accident in Indiana. I have uncles, cousins and friends' husbands in the mines as I type. I'm not even sure how Kentucky has been spared one of these tragedies of the past few years. Searching the internet just now, I've learned that Kentucky is only behind Wyoming and West Virginia in coal production.

I'm not sure why I decided to come on here and write about this tonight. I guess just asking for prayers for all of the miners in Huntington, Utah, but also pray that we find the technology to make mining safer and find a way to expedite the rescues when these tragedies happen.