IN IT TOGETHER
AUGUST 2015

Hello Everyone...

If you've read Dixie's newsletters for any length of time, you know she's been saying for quite a while, now, to "expect the unexpected". Though I can't say it wasn't expected (based on how dry our California forests are), we've been experiencing our second major fire in our mountain community in as many months, and this one is even closer than the last one. There isn't much to be done except to have our bags packed and pray that our wonderful firefighters can get it out soon.....but oh my, there is a weariness going on in ME, at least, that can only be the result of stress and the "buzz" generated when a fire is raging nearby.

For that reason, my newsletter will be short this month. I usually wait until towards the end of the month to write it anyhow, but July's end of the month has this fire in it, and my routine has gone up in smoke, so to speak. I have a few houseguests staying with me who were forced to evacuate, my brain is filled with mush, and my body is filled with "tired". It's hard to write a simple email, let alone a newsletter, under these circumstances. I am not suffering in any way, mind you - it's just how it is right now.

I was thinking, though, that there's nothing that can bring out the best in people than when something LIKE a fire comes along. In our little mountain community, there have been countless offers of help. People are offering their extra beds and floor space, their stables for livestock, their trucks for packing up essentials in order to move away from danger. Some of our local restaurants are offering free food for anyone who has had to evacuate. People are calling and checking on each other and making sure everyone has what they need. I have a friend who told me one of her friends showed up with a twothousand gallon water tank to help fight any flames that got near. We're cheering our firefighters when they go by.....holding up signs that express our gratitude.....offering them drinks and food every chance we get, and letting them know how very grateful we are to them for all that they do.

Though it's terrible to watch our forests burn, it's soooo heartwarming to know that we as human beings truly DO step up to offer to each other. I recall Dixie once wrote that the best of humanity comes through when we're "in the trenches together". (Actually, I believe what she said is that there's no greater love than exists between two men in a foxhole.) Well......I'm definitely witnessing the best of humanity coming through in the midst of this raging fire.

Life is what it is.....it's the people and our responses to each other, especially in times like these, that remind ME of why we're here on this planet and what ultimately matters the most: people CARING about each other. When we're in it together, we can face any and all things so much easier. I love this world of ours and the people in it.

OK - my brain is chirping, telling me my battery is getting dangerously low....smile.....

Hold on to your Spirit...        
Marty