Paradise Lost

This morning I was watching a follow-up story on the fire that destroyed Paradise, CA.   It was told from the viewpoint of the Paradise High School football team, who were expecting to practice the day after the fire in preparation for the playoffs.  It followed a couple students in their first visits to the rubble of the homes they left.   It was poignant and sad and a reminder of the similarity of stories post-Katrina, after Hurricane Harvey, Michael, Maria,  and after so many other natural disasters that occur every damn day.   The stories are hauntingly similar and at the same time, a reminder of what community can do.  While these boys were unable to take their team to the playoffs because all but a handful of players was displaced, they were able to remain strong and move forward despite the tremendous battle ahead, placing finding homes above the glory of a potential title. The true spirit of team and family.

I have heard so many people after this disaster and others ask, why anyone lives in these disaster-prone areas.   Such callous words that come from a lack of understanding until it happens to you.    It is easy to sit by the glow of your computer and cast judgement on people who have lost everything when you have never experienced the kind of loss that we and these communities have.   The thing about mother nature is, she is not selective.  It is not a matter of if, but when.   There is no safe place from the wrath of natural disaster.  Those of us who live in places such as these, do understand the risk, but to expect us to pick up and leave our communities, our lives and our history, is just unreasonable.  We all live where we live and none of us our immune to the wrath of mother nature.

I cried as I watched the story because the wounds of Katrina are still not completely healed.  Every time another community is destroyed by disaster, we are reminded of our own losses and of strength we didn't know we had.   For some, we are reminded of how we feel for not being impacted, feeling helpless and guilty because we didn't lose anything.    But in between the human spirit rises.  Whether we become strong to recover or strong to help, disasters which destroy homes and towns, bring out the best in humanity.  It unfortunate that we have to lose Paradise to find our humanity.  

I hope and pray that those who read this will never have to suffer the losses, some the ultimate loss,  that families in Paradise did.  I also hope that those who didn't can find compassion for those who did.   

Peace and blessings for a better 2019 to all of us.~TLP