When the fire in Alpine started last Tuesday, I was with my kids at a swimming pool in a neighboring community.
My son was on the high slide when he spotted a small column of smoke in the distance. He came quickly to find me.
I was sitting in the shade, stitching together my daughters hexagon flowers, since it’s still hard for her to stitch together six sides to piece. In fact she’s been stitching her flowers into the equivalent of a donut, then I put a center in for her. Sewing them that way has been easier for her, since she only needs to stitch one side.
We watched the column grow with uneasiness… and soon my cell phone rang. It was one of my dearest friends and neighbor. “Was I home? Did I know about the fire?” “I think we might get evacuated… you’d better hurry.”
During the slow drive (5 mph) home through construction… congested with a whole lot of people driving toward the fire… I thought about what I would take with me if we were evacuated.
Of course I thought about important documents. I thought about dog food and bird seed.
But what I really thought about was the things most precious to me. Afterward, I realized with a shock, that jewelry or other “valuables” hadn’t once crossed my mind.
Instead I thought about baby books, wedding photos, and my kid’s artwork, my son’s Reflections contest photo and my girl’s embroideries, my computer with years of our family photos.
As we neared our home that day and saw the billowing smoke up close, I had an overwhelming emotion come over me. What I needed most was already safe and sound. My husband at was safe at work. My kids were with me.
I am so grateful we didn’t end up evacuating. I didn’t need to make the hard decisions about what to save.
It’s the second time this year that I’ve been reminded, in dramatic fashion, to focus on what is really important.
Don’t you just love the quotes on Pinterest? Some make me laugh, and some make me think. I saw this quote again this week and thought I’d share: