When you report the news on a daily basis, there's the temptation to "dis"...

To disconnect from the stories you're reading... to disassociate yourself in order to appear objective.  The latest news on terrorists in the middle east... the most recent scandals in Washingnton, D.C.... or the latest celebrity to wind up in re-hab, etc... all make it pretty easy to do that.  After all... it's happening "over there"... and to "someone else".

But that changed this morning when I got into the newsroom at about 3:30 this morning.

Everyone was talking about the bridge collapse in Minneapolis.  Big news... lots of tragic video.  All the major network news shows were covering the situation and we were planning to continue the coverage on Good Morning Utah.

I was sitting at my desk... trying to get my computer to wake up when I remembered that my co-anchor, Erika Edberg is from Minnesota.  I walked over to her cubicle and in an off-handed sort of manner, mentioned the big news of the morning.  She looked up from her computer screen and told me she had been on the phone most of last evening... talking to family members in the Minneapolis area.  Hours of trying to account for everyone in her immediate... and not-so-immediate family.

"Are mom and dad ok?"... "What about my sister?... How is she going to make it in to work this morning?".  It was very clear... the situation was having a direct impact on her.  Her nerves were frazzled and she was tired.  She told me the most frustrating thing about the whole situation was that cell phone coverage was spotty at best.  You couldn't get through to find out what was going on.  But it seemed that everyone in her family was safe and sound... as far as she could tell.

And then... we had to sit in front of a camera and bring all of you up to date on the tragedy.

Erika was her usual... professional... straight-forward self.  That's one of the things that makes her so good at what she does.  I wanted to get her to open up a bit.  So when the time came at the end of the story to "ad-lib"... I kept asking her about her family.  Just to bring it home.  Just to make it a bit more personal.  It seemed to work.  I hope it made at least some of you stop for a moment to take mental inventory. 

Or maybe count your blessings.

Because no matter how much Erika and I may try to "dis"... no matter how may times the news of the day may happen "over there"... there's something we need to remind ourselves:

We are all connected.  We are all one.

Until next time...

MM