Lost but not gone

Jana Mathia, Whitman County Gazette | Sep 10, 20200

Sitting at the dinner table Monday night, the topic of evacuation came up. One town had been evacuated, one was being evacuated, another was being told to prepare for the order to evacuate. A wall of smoke took up the sky every time we looked out the living room window. There was really no reason to worry—that is, unless the wind shifted south. If our neighboring town was told to evacuate, then the fire had altered course and we may have to face the question of what to take. Although we doubted there was a need, should we have the children pack a bag, just in case? Who’s to say what could happen during the night?

The 4-year-old was the first to voice his concern and that was for his stuffed animals. He didn’t want his stuffed toys to burn. We tried to reassure, although, honestly, we would not take many of them as he has enough to choke a blue whale. But that was his priority—if he had to leave now, he wanted to save his stuff toys. My mind just did not want to focus on what we would take if forced to. How do you make that choice? Where do you start? I got as far as the wedding album, photo book from a special trip and the computer. Thankfully, I didn’t have to force myself to think about it too hard.

My heart aches for the children who did lose their precious stuffed friends. Lives have been changed. Not ended, mind you. Our county has been blessed that, as of this writing, there have been no deaths linked to the fires.

But lives have drastically changed. Homes have been lost. Long-time and short-time dwellings where people sought refuge from the storms of life. The place where you shelter in place because it’s safe. Many people have lost that. The memories and dreams contained within those walls are now ash and cinder.

Or are they? Actually, the memories and dreams are the things that we keep. Even if the teddy bear is gone, the memory of a child’s smile upon hugging it and the joy it brought as a little one snuggled in it soft polyester blend pelt can’t be destroyed by flame. Our memories and feelings are the things we can take with us—no fire can destroy those things. No matter what is lost, we can hold on to the memories of things that made us happy and brought us peace.

Of course, memories can’t feed, clothe or warm you. They can provide the comfort and hope that things will get better.

For the physical things, those that burned and can be replaced, that will take some help. Which, thankfully, is out there. People and organizations are already rallying to give those who have lost their homes and possessions. From GoFundMe accounts to charity dinners to donation drop sites, people are rising to the call to help their neighbors, even if they are neighbors they’ve never met.

Perhaps the best thing to come out of a tragedy like this is the realization that all that other crap doesn’t matter. Who you vote for, whether you wear a mask or not, what race or religion you are, all of the issues that divide us get pushed aside so we can come together to help one another. Neighbors have lost and neighbors are helping.

We can all do something for those who have suffered these past few days. I think we’ll start with a 4-year-old who has a lot of stuffed toys. Mommy and Daddy will explain to him that, while his toys are safe, someone else doesn’t have any now. Could he share some of his?

He will; he’s that kind of kid. And he’ll smile later when he remembers and tells us how he gave a stuff toy or bear to someone who lost theirs.

And he’ll have a new joyful memory that fire can’t destroy. And hope and happiness will grow.

While we can’t know what the future will bring, what can or will be rebuilt or what life will look like even a year from now, I do believe we can find and grow the hope to carry on and find joy again.

The fires go out, the smoke clears and the sun shines again. With everyone helping one another in ways small and large, things will get better and someday the firestorm will be another memory of how life changed. Changed, but kept on going.

Jana Mathia

Gazette Editor