Late in the Day

(Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services)

When I saw this story and the accompanying picture I immediately thought, "Dennis would have done something with this." He would not have let this little piece of news go by. He would have had a light touch, but he would not have dismissed the seriousness of the event. And yet he would have made us shake our heads a bit, maybe even smile.

I just don't know anyone else who could have done this justice. So I won't try. Suffice it to say that I am glad the driver is okay, grateful for our fire and rescue services, and hope whatever caused the accident never happens again.

A friend and valued colleague recently did me the honor of recommending my blog to others with these words:

Inviting HoCo friends to like and subscribe to a great local blog's FB page, Village Green/Town Squared. Written by Julia Jackson McCready with great humanity.

Humanity. That's it in a nutshell. That's Dennis brought to his accounts of the ups and downs of Columbia and Howard County life. He was a great teacher for many of us.

On New Year's Eve, as we were all thinking about what had passed and what was to come, this little story appeared in the news and made me think of an old acquaintance who shall never be forgot. How lucky we all were to know him and read his stories.

A toast to him today, and to the people and places he loved.

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