i detect a theme...

It's no secret that I am a dog lover, but this post isn't so much about dogs as it is about the inclination of the human heart to respond to the needs of others.

I happened upon a program on the Weather Channel yesterday that relates the story behind the famous Iditarod. I didn't know that the race commemorates what is known as the "Nome serum run." In January 1925, teams of mushers and their dogs worked in round-the-clock relays to get critical medicine to the town of Nome, Alaska when it experienced an outbreak of diphtheria. It is a wonderful and moving story about the dedication and determination of these mushers to risk their lives and the lives of their dogs to cover nearly 700 miles of ground (and frozen waterways) to deliver the serum to Nome and save its children from an inevitable epidemic. Just imagine Alaska in the dead of winter and you'll get a sense of the challenge of this operation.

The program included photographs of the people and places involved in the original story, reenactment segments, interviews with mushers, historians and biographers, and footage from a recent Iditarod race. Far better than most documentaries, it is a "feel good" story with something for everyone as story-telling goes. I highly recommend it as something worth watching on television.

It is also inspiring me, once again, to explore opportunities in my own community to become involved and make a difference in the lives of people in need. I really need to do something about that.

Note to self: mush!