RECONCILLIATION
        submitted by Michael Stone, Red Cross Volunteer Coordinator

“I don’t want to go any more than you,” said his wife. “But he is your father and you haven’t seen him in ages.” Although George and his father had never had a close relationship, his mother had invited them for the weekend because it was his father’s birthday.
“Okay, okay! But I am taking my clubs with me.”
The next day after driving three hours and exchanging the usual pleasantries upon arrival, an awkward silence started to envelope the group.
“I’m going to play golf. Want to come?” George casually directed the question at his father, not expecting him to be interested. “Sounds like a plan,” said his dad. “We better go now before the storm the forecasters predicted sets in.”
The golf course was barren and treeless with endless bunkers, tight fairways and, always, the wind. By the third hole, the wind was stronger and rumblings could be heard coming out of the northwest.
“Looks like we will only make nine holes,” said his father.
“No way,” said George. “I want to play the full 18.” The older man looked anxious as his son set up to tee off. “You do know, George, that if you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightening.”
“Old wives’ tale,” said George as he swung his club, driving the ball a good 200 yards straight down the fairway. His dad knew that if you counted the seconds from the time you see the flash until you hear the thunder and divide this number by five, you get the approximate distance in miles from the lightening. The lightening was now just two miles away.
At that moment there was an enormous crash as the thunder and lightening struck almost simultaneously. The two men could hardly hear each other.
“Squat low to the ground, son,” his father screamed.
“Put your hands on your knees with your head tucked between them. Try to touch as little of your body to the ground as possible.” George fearfully obeyed the instructions. He could feel his hair standing on end.
“Tuck down,” screamed his father again. As George tucked his head between his knees, he could feel electric charges rushing up his body from the ground. He gritted his teeth, kept his head down and waited. It seemed like an hour, but within minutes it was over and the storm had moved on. “Wow! That was something else,” said George. “I thought lightening only struck tall objects.”
“Not true,” said his father. “Lightening strikes the best conductor on the ground, not necessarily the tallest thing. In some cases, the best conductor might be a human being. If you hadn’t squatted, it might have been you.”
Thanks, Dad. Great job!” He now saw his father in a new light as they walked down the fairway. “By the way, how did you know all that stuff ?”
“Oh! Well,” said his father. “I’m a volunteer for the local Red Cross chapter and weather related emergencies are part of their overall disaster prevention training program. Come with me to the next Disaster Action Team meeting and you’ll see what I mean.”
“Okay, Dad, you’re on!”
For a free Safe Side brochure about the facts and myths of lightening and thunder or to learn how to become a Red Cross volunteer, please phone 325-9605 or drop by the San Juan Chapter of American Red Cross at 626 East Main St. in Farmington .