"If you're house caught on fire, what would you save?"
In second grade, it was probably my teddy bears? My jewelry making kit? My barbie guitar? Once I started filling journals like wildfire, that became my standard answer. I don't know how I would save all of them, but I'd have to find a way.
Anyways, it was just one of those questions. But last night, it suddenly became more when an accidental fire started at Camp Williams just over the mountain. I noticed the smokey look of the air yesterday afternoon. Sarah came running into my room telling me to come look out her window at the sun, which had changed color because of the smoke and was covering everything in a glowing orange. There was huge smoke billowing up, but that's as much as I saw. I left to come back to Snow and gawked at the view of the sun on the drive home. I could look straight at it, and it was red. Like looking at Mars.
Down in Ephraim there was smoke too, from an ongoing fire in Beaver. It gave me a headache. I don't remember in what order everything happened after that, but Mom called and told me not to worry and that she'd call me if there was any more news. She called soon after to tell me they were going to Grandma's, a mandatory evacuation had been issued. She said not to worry about the house, that it was probably just because of the smoke and we weren't too close to the flames, but they could see them coming down the mountain from where they were by In-n-Out Burger. I turned on the 10:00 news and watched the same clips show over and over while wind-blown reporters tried to explain the chaos that had taken place just previously as everyone evacuated and Mayor Mills declared Herriman in a state of emergency. My best friend sent me a text in despair, she and her family had cleared out and didn't know if they would come back to a house or ashes. I'd just opened my scriptures to any spot and found myself in John. I knew it wouldn't make things better, but it was all I could think to do to send her John 16:33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
Update: This was last week. Since then, there were three houses devastatingly burned down by the fire, but the chaos finally settled and the Herriman population returned to their homes. My heart goes out to those who lost their homes and those who couldn't sleep from worry. I'm grateful for the firemen who worked all night to conquer the beast and the many prayers offered. Lessons learned: you separate the important things from the things you thought mattered when they are all threatened. Also, we need not fear anything, even death, if the Lord is looking after us, because in his plan there is much more to life than living.
Anyways, it was just one of those questions. But last night, it suddenly became more when an accidental fire started at Camp Williams just over the mountain. I noticed the smokey look of the air yesterday afternoon. Sarah came running into my room telling me to come look out her window at the sun, which had changed color because of the smoke and was covering everything in a glowing orange. There was huge smoke billowing up, but that's as much as I saw. I left to come back to Snow and gawked at the view of the sun on the drive home. I could look straight at it, and it was red. Like looking at Mars.
Down in Ephraim there was smoke too, from an ongoing fire in Beaver. It gave me a headache. I don't remember in what order everything happened after that, but Mom called and told me not to worry and that she'd call me if there was any more news. She called soon after to tell me they were going to Grandma's, a mandatory evacuation had been issued. She said not to worry about the house, that it was probably just because of the smoke and we weren't too close to the flames, but they could see them coming down the mountain from where they were by In-n-Out Burger. I turned on the 10:00 news and watched the same clips show over and over while wind-blown reporters tried to explain the chaos that had taken place just previously as everyone evacuated and Mayor Mills declared Herriman in a state of emergency. My best friend sent me a text in despair, she and her family had cleared out and didn't know if they would come back to a house or ashes. I'd just opened my scriptures to any spot and found myself in John. I knew it wouldn't make things better, but it was all I could think to do to send her John 16:33, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
Update: This was last week. Since then, there were three houses devastatingly burned down by the fire, but the chaos finally settled and the Herriman population returned to their homes. My heart goes out to those who lost their homes and those who couldn't sleep from worry. I'm grateful for the firemen who worked all night to conquer the beast and the many prayers offered. Lessons learned: you separate the important things from the things you thought mattered when they are all threatened. Also, we need not fear anything, even death, if the Lord is looking after us, because in his plan there is much more to life than living.
