We are alive. We are safe. We are grateful that we are surrounded by so many loving people. God has been kind to fill our lives with love. We are staying at my brother’s ADU (accessory dwelling unit, i.e., a bonus apartment built from part of the garage) in Arcadia for the foreseeable future.
AND, we lost our house to the Eaton Fire, as did so many people we know in Altadena. We found out on the first morning of the fire, January 8, while bringing food to and helping the evacuees at All Saints Pasadena. We were shocked and devastated, and we could not have found out in a better way. We could have found out while we were alone. Instead, we were surrounded by others who were experiencing similar tragedies and going through similar traumas. We were walking this Camino with them, and we were not alone. We were enfolded in love immediately - by All Saints, by St John’s Cathedral, by our families. And in the ensuing days, Stephen's school, Sierra Madre Elementary, has supported and loved us, as well as the wider community, social network, and church.
We will miss our house of 17 years. Stephen and I loved that house and all the memories of family and holiday parties. We have so many memories of the bears and peacocks and parrots and hawks and coyotes and deer and raccoons and squirrels that would hang out in our yard. To me personally, I will miss most the casual walks and dinners and dog walks and summer concerts-in-the-park with our neighbors, at least for now. Altadena is a remarkable place. It is diverse, quirky, working class all the way to affluent. Altadena is home to priests and artists and horses and goats and chickens and teachers. The retired and children live side by side and in the same households. A number of residences shared driveways. And, thankfully, most of us survived and were not harmed. To me, it's the people and their delightful way of enjoying being alive that makes Altadena so special. It's the people. It's the relationships. It's the smiles. That's what made our house a home.
So, we may have lost the house, but our home will be wherever we are.
Join us in prayer. Lord, offer compassion and unimaginable grace to those displaced or challenged by these fires, and bring calm to those who need your merciful peace.
