Fire . . .

I'll tell you right upfront, this blog is a ramble.
I'm just too tired and too emotionally spent to worry about little things like grammatical correctness or literary symmetry.

We had a full house for three great weeks.
First Joey's mom and sibs came to visit. They pretty much figured this would be their only trip to Colorado (The Army moves us - a lot.) so they wanted to see as much as possible.
You'd be amazed at what we were able to shove into a few short days!
For example, we went to Cheyenne Canyon and Garden of the Gods on their first day - and that was after they had driven the last 7 hours to get here! It was a whirlwind!
My folks arrived a couple of days after the Smiths left. They had a bit more time to stay so the pace was considerably slower.
It's always a treat when they can visit in June.
We celebrate our "Tribirthaversifather's Day"!
For those of you who don't speak "Eddards", that would be three birthdays, mom and dad's anniversary, and the two dads for Father's Day.
Great visit!

Then the world caught fire.

Even before mom and dad left, we were seeing and smelling the smoke from the fires in High Park just outside of Denver.
We cancelled the Rocky Mountain National Park portion of their visit because of the low visibility and smoke.

But now several more fires were popping up here and there.

We love to drive over the mountain to Woodland Park. It's a favorite little getaway.
We were talking to one of the local merchants there and she pointed out the window at a pillar of black smoke just outside the city limits. She told us that there had been almost twenty fires set that week alone!
Why anyone would have a mind for arson is beyond me.
Most fires were handled quickly and affectively.
But there was one, on the north side of the Springs, that just refused to be contained.
I'll share a few pics. I have no words.

I'm thrilled we're on the south side of town, outside of the evacuation areas.
Then I'm reminded that their are 32,000 people who have had to leave their homes.
I'm sitting safe at my desk while they are living in school gymnasiums and public arenas. Some have no idea what's happened to their homes.
Strange to feel such gratitude and such sorrow in the same moment.
It's also strange how an event like this can alter your thinking.
I no longer go to sleep thinking about the next days schedule - laundry, dishes, blah blah blah.
Instead I make a mental list of what I'd grab if we had to leave the house at a moments notice.
I look for a red glow in the distance as I close the shades for the night. I wake up sniffing for the smell of smoke. That's been the new norm this week.

Life goes on. God gives us the strength we need.

I pray for the burn out victims of this fire.
I pray for the firefighters who are risking their lives for the sake of strangers.
I pray for those who have no faith. That somehow in the midst of their sorrow, they will feel a peace. A peace that can only come from their heavenly father - even if they don't yet know His name.


"You will keep in perfect peace him who is steadfast, because he trusts in You."     
Isaiah 26:3