TGIF - Deja Vu

Four years ago this month, San Diego experienced its worst firestorm in history. Ash was everywhere, you couldn't breathe, the sky was an eerie orangish grey color. It was like something out of a science fiction movie. Very scary. The fire came close to our neighborhood, but not close enough to have to evacuate. But we were glued to the television (there really wasn't anything else to do anyway). Our van was packed with all of our precious "stuff," like photo albums, the cuckoo clock, Gene's dad's rocking chair, etc. We were ready to go in the middle of the night if the fires came too close. But, miraculously, a few days later, it rained! The rain washed the air and helped put out most of the fires.

This time, it was even worse for San Diego. Many, many more people were evacuated, only to return to rubble in too many cases. Once again, we were glued to the television, listening for news about Lakeside or El Cajon. But, once again, our neighborhood was spared. In fact, this time, the fires really didn't even come close. People and horses were evacuated to our area. Although we felt relatively safe throughout the week, I did get as far as making a list of things we need to pack in case the winds changed and the fires started coming our way. Krista went around the house with our digital camera documenting all of our belongings.

As a city we were more prepared, too. This week brought out the best in San Diego--neighbors helping neighbors, shelters opening up all over the place. People were actually turned away at the stadium with their donations because they already had more than enough of everything! The generosity of our citizens made us all very proud to be San Diegans. Of course, there were the rare cases of looting and people taking advantage, but the good outweighed the bad by far.

So, this week, I am thankful that we were not in harm's way and that we live in the best city in the world!

Seize the day!