What a week it was. Its lessons seem even more important today. What week am I talking about? I’m referring to the first week of this month, July. The day I started jotting notes for this blog was July 5th. We had just finished celebrating the declaration of our nation’s independence. Normally, one would expect this blog to be about pride in our country and the opportunities that exist for everyone as a result. I’m sure there were plenty of those thoughts shared. Don’t worry. I have plenty of those thoughts, too, as I’m a proud citizen and a public servant. But that’s not quite the story that has me wanting to share thoughts of gratitude and appreciation.

On Tuesday, July 2nd sometime just before noon I received the first of a multitude of text message alerts regarding a wildfire. At the time, I was on a Zoom meeting with a colleague who lives in the San Francisco Bay area, and a cursory glance out my office window did very little to cause great alarm. There were plenty of blue skies, no smoke, and no sound of emergency aircraft, which is so common in this part of Northern California. We know a thing or two about wildfires as we’ve had more than our share since 2018 here in Butte County.

One hour later, it was absolutely apparent that the wildfire was undeniable and growing at an alarming rate. Evacuation warnings began expanding at a frightening rate. The only thing more frightening was the rate at which the warnings became orders. And that is when I witnessed something that I believe happens daily but far too often goes completely unnoticed.

It was humanity. Once again, I witnessed my hometown rise to the occasion with an amazing display of what it means to care about your neighbor simply because they are your neighbor. One of those neighbors lives close to where the fire started. His story is something deserving of a full write-up on its own. But I won’t include it here out of respect for his wishes. What I will do is focus on the last paragraph of what he shared with me. His story ends with a deep sense of gratitude.

“Praise God no homes were lost on our road. The fire department did a great job, and at one time, there were at least 100 firefighters on the hill with dozens of vehicles and equipment here. There were also about a dozen aircraft, spotter planes, helicopters, and multiple huge tankers, dropping the retardant in the air right in our area, battling the fire. At one point in time, when I still had my fire hose going, a helicopter did a drop, and I got a little bit of helicopter rain dropped down on me. Our God is an awesome God!”

That’s it. No blame. No anger. Just feelings of gratitude that what could have been far worse was not. Or, as one friend told me, his Dad’s words came to mind that everything was always better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. That was the theme wherever I went that afternoon and in the following days. People offered to help people simply because they needed help. And people were responding with gratitude. No one cared about differences. No one questioned if someone had caused their own problems. There were no conversations about liberal or conservative. For a while, we were all simply neighbors in need.

Here’s the moral of the story. Maybe it’s time for us to start with the reminder that during this highly charged political contest, we are all neighbors with needs. Instead of seeing each other as “enemies,” maybe this time we see each other as neighbors with needs and differences of opinions on how we meet those needs.  Maybe then we can finally start to find solutions that work for the masses instead of just a few.

 

Photo credit: CAL FIRE: Thompson Fire in the CAL FIRE Butte Unit. Butte County, CA July 2024