Finding Meaning and Community Amidst the Devastation of California Wildfires
The California wildfires have been, and continue to be, devastating. While I don't live in Southern California, I do have family and friends living there who have been affected, and as a life-long resident of California, I feel a connection with my southern neighbors as someone who has visited that beautiful area many times and has fond memories of good times with family and friends. With all of the loss and destruction from the fires, so especially tragic in the loss of life, but also in the loss of natural resources and the beauty of the area, to loss of wildlife, and materials in the form of structures, vehicles, and equipment, to the loss of any sense of normalcy, the feeling of security and the rhythm of day-to-day activities, what has emerged is an awareness of what really matters in life. Watching on TV the look horror and sorrow of someone just learning that their house and all of the belongings now sits in a pile of rubbish and ash, what is always said is how fortunate the person is to have physically escaped the fire; and what is most important to them, even with all they have now lost, is the fact that they still have family members, friends, treasured memories, and that the sense of their community is still strong. AND that they will rebuild.
There has been an outpouring of local, grassroots efforts that have sprung up over the past week in the affected and adjacent areas, many starting the day of or the day after the first major fire ignited. People smiling, bands playing, people singing and giving hugs, cars driving in to unload trunks full of new essential items, and families, many on foot, coming to pick up needed supplies, even just to get them through the next few days, and to sit down for a hot meal.
All of this has given me pause as I am making some cosmetic changes in my home. Why do I have all of this stuff? What do I really need? What makes me happy?
A major catastrophe such as this makes you stop and take a look at life; what is important to each of us, and what the word treasure really means.
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