We live in the exurbs south of Denver, Colorado -- north of the firestorms that have devastated Colorado Springs, but not by that much,. My husband has dealt with some knuckleheaded but well-meaning "Facebook friends" who thought that, since we're in Colorado, those fires must be licking out back porch. Uh, not exactly -- but I've seen and smelled the smoke, and these disasters are certainly within a half-hour's drive of home. It makes me think of when the firestorms hit the Oakland hills while we lived in Marin in California -- though separated by both miles and water (the Bay) -- some people thought this was in our back yard.
What has really made me think is the video I've seen of people who have, indeed, lost everything -- one that sticks out is a woman who said on-camera that she had "raised five children there" after living in a house for 18 years. And she lost "everything, including mom's china and grandma's sewing machine." YES, without a doubt, my heart goes out to her. YES, I can only imagine what a terrible tragedy this is for them. But there is also great freedom and opportunity in being freed from that baggage, painful as it IS. (Not ignoring the pain!!!)
Sometimes, starting from scratch is not a bad thing. Sometimes, being roused from a multi-year "comfort pad" can be a good thing.
These fires have truly been devastating -- but there is something good there
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