As I ponder this past week, it has been an experience of polar opposites - devastation and destruction of homes, land, livestock paralleled by an outpouring of love, concern and connection.
I left my home exactly one week ago and hunkered down with Tammie in an unfinished apartment on a futon laid on plastic bags to protect it from the soot. And yet, I felt grateful - grateful for having a safe place to stay without needing to be in an evacuation center.
As the days progressed, the fire and smoke moved north where we were and soon, the ashes were falling like snowflakes. After four alarms in the middle of the night, I decided to head really north, staying with my cousins about 5-6 hours away.
Before leaving town, however, I attended a prayer service that felt so heartwarming and focused on the gifts of life and lessons learned in hardship. After leaving, I went back to the shopping area where I left my vest the day before and the area was deserted. While Christmas lights flickered in the store windows and music was piped in throughout the outdoor mall, no-one was in sight. The only activity was the increasing shower of ashes coming down through the sky. It felt like a sci-fi movie and we were the lone survivors of the end of civilization.
While an eerie feeling, I was not afraid. Instead, I began the inquiry again. Why am I here, in this place, now? What is the lesson to be learned from it all? I began to think of one of my favorite Christmas movies - Dr Seuss', "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". Why this story one might ask?
Empty stores, no-one shopping and in fact, no-one even around! And yet, out there in the surrounding areas were firefighters, military, Red Cross volunteers, people checking in on others to make sure they are safe and settled. It's not about the boxes and bows, nor the presents under the tree, but more about the true meaning of Christmas and of life itself. We are here to love. We are here to serve. We are here to be in connection with one another.
I'm back home in Ojai - a city that is smoke-filled at this time. I have friends who are safe and others who lost their homes. I'm pilfering through a few extra blankets and towels to give to the next family who comes to live in my home at the end of the week. I feel blessed in that I had begun the process of planning to move to Santa Barbara, 45 minutes away, due to work. This move was to be at the end of December and I have been able to coordinate to move two weeks earlier in order to house a family who lost everything. For me this is God's grace at work.
Look for the miracles - they appear every day if you look!
Love
Julie
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