Fire
The last 24 hours have been difficult. Prayer and concern, constant companions throughout Sunday. By evening family and friends were reported safe. Many are now homeless; fleeing the ravenous flames with just the clothes on their backs. The losses are dumb-founding and mind-numbing.
Land so near and dear to my heart and memory, has been devastated by the ‘worst tragedy Lake County has ever seen’. It is not over. The threat is on-going as this fire remains wholly uncontained, wholly unpredictable, and wholly dangerous.
An immense debt of gratitude to the firefighters; emergency personnel; people of Calistoga; the Red Cross; Ranchers who opened their barns and pastures to the many displaced horses; and those who rescued wandering, disoriented pets, and now begin the search to re-unite them with their families.
In crisis is opportunity. The opportunity to practice altruism; the opportunity to discover the depths of one’s faith; the opportunity for deeper bonding and understanding between family, friends and strangers alike. The crisis will pass, but the challenge of recovery remains a formidable task.