I now consider North Carolina to be my home but for the first 25 years of my life, home was Arizona. The mountains and the desert will always hold a special place in my heart. Most of my family still lives there. On Tuesday night, a local sheriff visited my dad’s home in the southern corner of the state. He told my dad it was time to evacuate. The fire was too close. I visited my dad in April and this is the view from his front yard.
It’s the view of the Huachuca Mountains. It’s the same area being consumed by fire today. The whole area is under a State of Emergency and many people are losing their homes and their possessions.
When my dad was instructed to pack up and leave, he had a relatively easy time deciding what to bring. He packed up his two macaws, one parrot and one Dalmatian and made the twenty minute drive up the road to my grandma’s house. In comparison, packing up is not as simple for many neighbors who have cattle and horses to think about.
Fires,tornadoes,earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis always make me pause. It reminds me to slow down long enough and be grateful for my life. Events like this have a way of putting human life into perspective again. A house can be rebuilt again. Stuff can be acquired again. But, life and family are precious. Today, if you think of it, say a prayer for those in the path of the fire and those who have lost their homes. Take some time today to thank Him for all the blessings in your life!
Today, I am linking up with The Gypsy Mama and participating in Five Minute Friday. The topic today is HOME. If you would like to link up, click HERE
Ugh, so true.
So thought provoking.
Tee
Praying for your dad and others in the path of the fires.
" slow down long enough and be grateful for my life." So true…we can allow ourselves to get so caught up in "stuff" that we lose perspective on what/ who is really important. My pastor said this when my car was vandalized and it helped so much. He said instead of getting mad that my car was smashed, what I should have been saying was "God look what they did to your car!" When we think of our possessions as God's we can loosen our grip on it… Great post!!!
I am praying for your dad and the many others. May God protect and comfort them.
Eileen,
As soon as I finish typing this I will pray that God keep your family and the people affected by this fire safe. Stuff can be replaced, but but those whom we love cannot.
Blessings to you Eileen.
Thanks everyone! Would be good to add prayer for rain.
So sorry about your father having to evacuate … and for many others going through hard times. Many homes in our area have had to be evacuated due to flooding. Things like this help keep our minds on eternal perspective, as you said in your post. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
And thanks for visiting my blog (Pursuing Heart) and leaving a comment on my post, "Glimpses of Home".
Praying for those who are affected by this fire as well as the other disasters we've seen this year. I'm reminded that this home is temporary and that He is where my eternal home is..the only One that is unshakeable!
Praying for God's intervention …RAIN.
Oh, yes, praying and praising now. Thank you for the reminder, Eileen.