A Tribute to My Father-in-law

Deep in the mines

Waiting to go in the mines (far left)

Dan, third from right

On January 9, 2006 my father-in-law, Dan, retired from 40+ years in the coal mines. He spend many days deep inside the earth mining coal for the benefit of others. Many times he would go underground before daylight and then, after his shift was over, he'd come back out to darkness. He was a hard working, honest, dedicated employee. Although his job was often back breaking and miserable, he never complained. I'm just so very thankful that he was one of the lucky ones who came home safely every night. He's now enjoying retirement in the mountains of North Carolina. Congratulations, Dan! Enjoy every single second of your retirement, you've earned it.

**My prayers go out to his fellow WV miner's families who have lost loved ones in the recent WV mine tragedies. God bless you all.