One of the most unpleasant, but most necessary, parts of the job is writing about death. How do you sum up a life in 8 to 10 inches? How do you fully portray the depth of loss of a family, friends, community? How do you respect the family while trying to explain their loss, and their loved one, to the wider community? Today was another attempt to express our sympathy and pay respects to the family of Army Sgt. Eric Hernandez who was killed in Iraq.

I was talking to a news reporter who has written many stories like this one, and covered many funerals, and always writes the most touching articles. We both talked about how it’s such a different experience, how it’s useless to take the arms-lenghth approach when writing these stories. We owe it to the young men and women who have lost their lives to give the fullest picture, and we owe it to our readers to translate that loss into words, as best we can.

I figured this out today, as I worked on the Editorial Page tribute to Sgt. Hernandez: If the writer isn’t crying by the end, s/he isn’t doing it right.

The Editorial Board is often asked to write about safety issues, and this time of the year, we get a lot of requests. Often, they are news stories, rather than editorials. I often encourage people to send letters to the editor on the topic (not all letters have to be about news or other opinion articles; new issues can be addressed, and residents can bring up topics that the news then chases.)

So, here’s a few warnings from readers who have called:

Hanukkah began last night. During this festival, candles are lit, and left burning. Please, please, please attend these candles. Candles are beautiful and have great significance this holiday, but they are a fire hazard. Treat them with care.

Christmas trees are going up. Keep fresh trees hydrated. Make sure wiring and decorations are safe. Again, make sure that your decorations are safe and do not pose fire hazards. (This goes for house decorations, too.)

Another warning comes from Rockland Legislator Ed Day, R-New City. He and I can have some sharp conversations about issues. We did again today (see his gas tax cap Community View tomorrow.) He asked that I get this warning in, and I most certainly agree it is timely and needed. Gift cards are great convenient gifts. But, there are risks. The card numbers can be cracked by crooks, and the accounts depleted. Some ways to avoid this: Take a card from the back of the stack (Ed explains that thieves can copy the numbers easily from the front cards) or better yet, ask a cashier for a gift card from behind the counter.

I’m trying to be optimistic about the “real snow ” we have today. It’s light, it’s fluffy, it’s really pretty. The kids are happy, hopping outside, and then back in to warm up on the radiators (and track in enough snow to go through every towel in the house mopping up the wood floors). The dog is happy—he loves snow and is whimpering as he looks out the window, but no one big enough to walk him (again) in this house likes snow as much as he does.

I’m not a big fan of snow. But I’m trying. I think this winter I better get used to it.