A WOMAN'S VIEW ~ Lenore Buth

Terror on a Sunday afternoon

 Imagine standing where your front door used to be, looking up and down your street-- and seeing only smoldering rubble.

No, it's not Baghdad or Kabul. It's here in California. Scenes like this are playing out all over the state.

If you live in another state, you might wonder why we have so many wildfires. For one thing, we have lots of hilly areas, with brush and trees growing on them.  Homes, expensive homes, often dot those canyon areas. People build there for the privacy and the view.

With almost no rain from April or May until November, we get dry. So we Californians always feel a bit edgy when our weather turns windy, with low humidity. In the Los Angeles area people cringe every time wild Santa Ana winds howl through the canyons and humidity drops below 10 percent. Sometimes fires rage even without those "devil winds," as they're often called. 

This year, for instance. Being in our third year of drought means that everything is as combustible as a pile of kindling. Warnings go out all the time to avoid anything that can strike sparks, to skip building campfires, to be sure barbecue grill fires are out, etc. Even then, "harmless" activities can be dangerous. Not long ago one enormous fire started when a fellow was mowing and hit a rock.

So far in the Sacramento area we've had some fires, but nothing big.

That changed yesterday. Our humidity levels hovered beween 10 and 15 per cent. Then came dry winds blowing at 25 mph. 

In the middle of nearby Auburn, along a busy road right through town, a fire broke out. Flames quickly spread and burned uphill into a residential area. We saw the black cloud of billowing smoke--and smelled it, too. Firefighters turned out from all over. Nevertheless, by nightfall, sixty-three homes and three businesses had burned to the ground. Dream homes, picture-perfect homes on large lots, some new, some older...all of them gone. This morning's television newscasts show streets and neighborhoods with nothing standing, only ruins.

Some people didn't even have time to grab a picture album or any important papers. One said, "I was taking an afternoon nap and somebody banged on our door, saying the fire was fifteen feet from my place. I got out with only the clothes I was wearing."

The tight-knit community of Auburn grieves today, but they're pulling together,  offering food and shelter. People like me feel sad, too, thinking what it would be like to lose everything. No one died, thank God. Yet the outward trappings of our earthly life do carry meaning, if only for sentimental value.  

Of course, we needn't have our homes burn down to have our lives change in an instant. All it takes is a car accident, a nasty tumble, a dreaded medical diagnosis, the death of one we love or job loss. 

So how shall we get through this risky business of living without quivering in a corner? I only know one way: Trust in the Lord. 

Yes, it's true, Christians suffer loss and illness and death, like everyone else. But believing that we're not alone and knowing others pray for us lightens the burden, however crushing it may be. In the midst of the pain we trust that God somehow will bring good out of the experience. Over time I've learned that what makes no sense at the time almost always turns out to have a blessing hidden in it, even if we have to wait awhile to see it. 

What helps me get through tough times is to cling to Bible verses that speak to my heart. For me, it helps to write them down, then reread them whenever my courage wavers. Repeating them to myself calms my spirit. Here are a few verses I have underlined in my Bible.

      I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell             in safety.       --Psalm 4:8

God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.                 --Psalm 46:1-2

   When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust;                       I will not be afraid.    --Psalm 56:3-4

Surely God is my help; the Lord in the one who sustains me.  --Psalm 54:4

As we go about living our lives, let's be watchful, of course. But let's not give in to panic or constant low-level anxiety. All that does is churn us up even more--and our family members, too. We rob life of its joy.

Remember, you're in good hands--and I don't mean "with Allstate." 

Peace and blessings,

Lenore

Question for you: Do you have a favorite Bible verse that blesses you? Why not share it with the rest of us? Just click on the word "Comments" below and a message form will pop up. Then follow the simple directions.

A benediction for your week--and your life

Schools around here are back in session--or soon will be. Kids of all ages, along with adults of all ages, are trekking back, or maybe for the first time.

Education is a wonderful thing. We say that all the time, don't we? And it's true.

Still, it takes courage to take that first step, whether you're a first-grader or an adult first-timer who's been away from school for a long time. There's a saying that goes something like this, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Beginnings are like that. The "first step" is the hardest. Each one that follows feels easier.

That truth applies, even when we're beginning a new way of doing things in our personal lives. What we know always feels more comfortable and safe than stepping off into the unknown.

Every one of us has "been there, done that" at least a couple of times. We all know that sinking feeling, that self-doubt that we can handle what's ahead. What to do?

One simple tactic is to change the way we think and hang a new label on what we're feeling. Instead of "fear" and "discomfort," we can call it "excitement." After all, can't you remember times when you felt excited and you had those same butterflies? Me, too.

So if you're stepping off into the unknown--or your children are--here's a benediction on your week and for this new undertaking. We sang it at church today. First our pastor sang it to us, all of us standing. Then each side turned to face the other and we sang it together, each side to the other side. How lovely to sing these words to the smiling folks facing us! 

So I "sing" it to you, with all my best wishes.

As you go on your way may Christ go with you,

May He go before you to show you the way,

May He go behind you to encourage you,

Beside you to befriend you,

Above you to watch over,

Within you to give you peace.

God bless you, whoever you are--and thanks for taking time to read this blog now and then,

Lenore

Question for you: What new activities are you--or a family member--undertaking?

Consider this a public service alert from a friend

Hope you won't mind if I veer off-course this time, but I think it's worth it. While leafing through scribbled notes and clippings, I ran across a months-old article from the Sacramento Bee. It  addresses a rather odd sign that indicates fire danger. I don't think it's common knowledge, but it's valuable information.

A woman named Kelli Wheeler wrote that her daughter's bedroom began to smell of fish, especially near the dresser. Since they had no fishbowls or aquariums, that made no sense. She installed air fresheners, which didn't help. One Saturday morning they tore everything apart in that bedroom, sniffing anything and everything, looking for something that might have crawled in there and died. Still, no luck.

She and her contractor husband checked out the HVAC vents under their 1950s house and in the attic. Nothing. The next day the smell was markedly worse. She and her husband moved the dresser out and saw nothing. But they smelled something else: smoke.

When her husband touched the outlet behind the dresser, it was scorching hot. They quickly yanked the plugs out of the socket, all of them too hot to handle.

The contractor husband, used to doing his own electrical work, dismantled the outlet. Plastic was scorched and wires melted. He recognized the cause: a loose neutral wire connected to the wall outlet, which had jiggled loose over time. Once that wire came loose it caused a spark to jump between the wires. With the smoke detector out in the hall, her daughter's bedroom would have been burning before the detector alerted them. Disaster averted, with thankful hearts all around.

The writer consulted authorities, who gave this warning. Homes built in the 1950s, through the late 1960s and into the 1970s, commonly had aluminum wiring. After years of hot and cold expansion, these wires commonly work loose. When you notice a  persistent fishy smell, it's much more than an annoyance. Consider it a red flag--an emergency. This applies to ceiling fixtures as well as to wall plug-ins. Since homes usually have the same type of wiring throughout the house, the home's electrical system should be checked by a qualified electrician.

Also pay attention when lights flicker, which can mean overloaded circuits. If you get sparks when inserting or removing a plug, that's not norma. If an electrical cord is hot to the touch, don't use it. Or if a circuit breaker keeps on tripping, that's a problem.

Sorry to bring up something worrisome and surely none of us want extra expenses. These alerts, however, could be a life-saver.

Because that fishy smell is so unusual, I haven't been able to get this story out of my mind, even though it doesn't apply to our home. I pass it on to you, just in case. File it away in a corner of your mind, then keep it handy--for yourself or for someone you love.

As my grandmother used to say, "God watches out for us, but He still expects us to use our brains."

Be safe, my friends, 

Lenore

Your comments welcomed! (Just click on the word "comments" in the small print at the end, then follow directions.)

Looking more closely may lead to jumping for joy

Do you ever find yourself going through life in neutral? I plead guilty. I got a lesson in joy the other morning and my smile lasted all day. Nothing out-of-the-ordinary, just one of those everyday blessings easy to miss.

Let me set the scene. The landscape we look at every day is fairly common for this part of California. Common-use open space runs behind our house. A walking trail runs though this unmowed area and it's dotted with several huge, gnarly oak trees. I've always loved the way they grow, even when I only saw them in movies. 

Many species of birds call those ancient trees home. One or the other is always singing or chattering. My personal favorite is the mockingbird, which can go on for hours. (Some people find that annoying, I know.) These birds like high places. Frequently one hunkers down on the roof next door and serenades us.

I looked out the other morning, enjoying another serenade, thankful once again that mockingbird is "ours" and chose to perch on the tip of the topmost branch. Suddenly that plain gray bird jumped straight up in the air, landed in the same place and never stopped singing. The bird kept repeating that performance over and over. I watched for several minutes what looked very much like leaping for joy. 

Not long after I heard an unfamiliar noise out back, a kind of chattering. Fifteen or so California quail had dropped in for a quick visit and were lined up along the top railing of our fence. We had spotted some a few times while walking the trail, but had never seen them up close. This covey clearly had a leader and seemed sociable, nodding their heads at each other,  clucking and muttering in quail talk. They sounded so much like a group of women that I had to laugh.

Then I noticed that just behind that tree a young mule deer was grazing. It soon ambled its way off down the hill. Somehow, it seemed the finishing  touch. (This was not the first time we've seen deer. Every now and then they come right up to that our back fence and nibble through the bars.) 

Now the point to all this nature talk. First, I've been known to grumble (surprise!) Yet even when it seems the city crowds in, God provides reminders of his creation. How many other little blessings do I miss every day?

Second, I always get to choose how I look at life. Mockingbirds can be viewed as pests...or as wonderful songbirds. Deer pay no attention to regular height fences, they devour rose gardens and just about any bloom that's not purple, except for daffodils. Yet did you ever see a more graceful animal? 

For right now, I want to keep before me the image of that mockingbird jumping straight up. It looked like sheer exuberance that had to be expressed. I'd like some of that quality for myself. How about you?

Here's to greeting our days with joy!

Love and blessings,

Lenore