Lessons From the 2017 Firestorm

Two years ago tonight, we were awakened at 1:15 AM by a neighbor driving down the street honking and screaming to warn everyone that a fast-moving fire was burning the entire neighborhood behind our house. She was our angel in the firestorm… She saved our lives.

Just a few hours before, we had celebrated my wife Jessie's birthday. Running out of the house without any time to pack, we lost everything we owned. We had no renter’s insurance. It was a complete financial loss, and the family heirlooms and keepsakes from 3 generations were all gone.

Santa Rosa as we knew it, went up in flames. 

But life is good… very good. We are blessed beyond belief.

I would like to share the lessons that Jessie and I have learned:

1)     Store Your Pictures in the Cloud.  There is no way to bring back the family photos, memorable events, parents and grandparent’s pictures, athletic articles, and more. Take the time to download them to the Cloud.

2)     Invest in Your Community.  Our community, our church, friends, family, and business colleagues all came together to help us back on our feet. Touch people’s lives in a real way. Do it because everyone is battling something.  Get involved. Volunteer. Meet your neighbors.

3)     Don’t Sweat the Small Things.  All the time we spent on the weekends pruning bushes, pulling weeds, edging the lawn perfectly really didn't matter.  Sure, we need to take care of the material blessings we have been entrusted with, but don’t let that interfere with more important things.

4)     Show Empathy.  If someone experiences great loss, please don’t tell them that you have an equal story of pain. Maybe you do. But simply say “I’m sorry for your loss.”

5)     Gift cards are Needed.  Well meaning people asked us if they could give us used stuff they were no longer using. Gift cards gave us the ability to go get the basic household items we needed.

6) People are good. We still are amazed at how the community came together for those in need. From the volunteers at donation centers where we got toothbrushes and toiletries, to the guy in line behind us at Goodwill that paid for our used suitcase, people are inherently good in times of disaster.

7)     Less is More. Live simple. 

Jessie and I would like to thank the many people that showed us love, compassion, and helped us rebuild our lives from the ashes.  Too numerous to list, but we have a record of each and every one of you.

Happy Birthday Jessie !!!