Our friends, Joe and Joyce Friel are in Boulder for the summer and have had close call with a fierce wild fire that took more than 50 homes in their area. You will find this link interesting: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_16032818
Please also enjoy Joyce's perspective on the events of the week:
Life is a White Board
Every once in a while we all experience something in our lives that puts things into focus. Something that helps us rebalance our priorities and reassess our world. A flood, a fire, an accident, a death, a near miss or some other unexpected calamity. For me right now, it is the Four Mile Canyon fire burning just west of our home in Colorado. The water-bearing helicopters and retardant slurry bombers haven’t stopped for over 2 days and the air is full of acrid smoke and ash. We are focused on the positive in that we have no direct harm and there have not been any injuries reported from this fire. I heard one of the victims who lost his home say in a newspaper interview that Life is a White Board and his had just been erased clean.
It seems to me this is an apt metaphor for those times in our lives when we are caused to stop and reevaluate. Rather than focusing on the life that was there a second ago that just got erased, maybe we should focus on ensuring the white board always has written on it what is most enduring, most endearing and most valuable to us.
As this gentleman went on to say, it wasn’t the ‘stuff’ he would miss, it was the memories. His family was fine and he could rebuild, but he would always long for the ancient Mayan ruin items he found in South America and he would always long for treasures he brought back from Egypt. Now he will concentrate on the treasures he has with him that are dear and enduring which are his family, his health and his life.
I’m wondering what is written on your White Board of Life. Is it something worth preserving through your actions and deeds or is it something more fleeting and less substantial. I know I sometime get caught up in the day-to-day scribbles on my own White Board and lose sight of the messages I most want my family, friends and colleagues to know and always remember about me.
Now is a good time to assess as the clouds are moving in and we have a 30% change of rain to help the fire fighters get the Four Mile Canyon fire under control.
Joyce Friel
Let's give thanks they are OK!
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