Knowing what matters most

There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm.

That quote by Willa Cather, which hangs above my desk, acknowledges a truth that most of us arrive at only grudgingly: Tragedy brings its own wisdom, the hard-won kind you can't acquire any other way.

The terrible fire that injured eight local firefighters and destroyed a historic Indian Hill home brought its share of difficult lessons this week. As with many news stories, we all probably took different realizations from it. Two struck me.

The first was simply how far human beings will go in the name of duty. An alarm sounds and teams of professional emergency responders put everything they have on the line for strangers. They know the dangers and the odds better than any of us, and yet they still go in. . .

The second lesson was what, given minutes to choose their most precious belongings, Jim and Nancy Jaeger took from their burning house: a dog, two cats, two parrots and a photo album. Left behind were rare and valuable antiques and one-of-a-kind collections.

The Jaegers chose life and memories. I like to think that's what I'd choose as well.

Perhaps the gift in this "storm" for the Jaegers was the chance to see that, when everything was put at risk, they knew the right things to hold onto.