Santa Rosa
My wife, Jocelyn, is from Santa Rosa, CA. We spent most of yesterday watching the news, checking on friends, grieving losses of her childhood and "growing up" memories, as well as our courting memories. I loved visiting her there. When it was new to me, back in the 90's, I even wrote a poem about it.
We don't find too much about losses on WA. I think that is a good thing; I also think it is a good sign. But there are losses in the lives we touch here, and I write about this one in particular not for any gathering of "sympathy" but because I love my wife, I love her history, I love her depth of feeling for her home, and I love her.
This is the point: Wealthy Affiliate may not sound like the kind of place where we can share our hearts or be transparent about our feelings, but IT IS. WA is exactly that kind of place. WA is akin to a workplace, where what affects one actually affect all. WA is a kind of community, where people come together to help one another. WA has elements of family -- we even miss someone if they fail to show up for awhile. And I have experienced that in only six weeks.
There is the priority on "paying it forward." That is one of the ways in which we know that we are "invested" -- we take what we receive and we share it with someone else.
Santa Rosa is a city which is devastated. Sonoma County, Napa, Yuba, on and on. The weather expert said that the fire is like a 30-foot storm surge (for folks so familiar with hurricanes in these past few months in the US, and with other coastal disasters across the globe). "The difference" he said, "from a 30-foot storm surge is that this fire came with NO warning, it does not seem to recede, and there is no estimate as to how far inland it will go.
The reason that I share this is that I have found on WA the opportunity to offer prayers for others here. I invite you to join me in whatever way you might pray, in whatever tradition you communicate with the transcendent, in whatever manner you call upon a higher power, for the people in the North Bay Area of California and for those in Anaheim as well.
And if you are in one of those areas, know that WA is with you -- a community, a workplace, a family -- saying that we care.
Best to all who are in this place.
October 10, 2017
Recent Comments
7
That is very nice of you to appreciate your wife's history so much Bob. I have heard the La Nina this year will bring dry weather to California this is part of that I suspect. I also heard October can be the worst month for fires in California.
It really looks horrible.
It gets more and more horrible by the day. She is keeping up with friends, some of whom are still missing family members. She has some cousins who have lost their home, and she has found that three residences where she lived (including one where she was for a time with her grandparents) are gone. This has been a heart-wrenching week. I am going to send you a private message with my blog post about it (not the blog post on WA).
Have a wonderful weekend.
Bob
Hi Bob
A Heartfelt post - we can only imagine the anguish those people are suffering at the moment and particularly hard if you have family connections there. It must be devastating to have everything disappear in a firestorm. I am sure the thoughts of all caring people are with them.
All the best.
Cheers
Rod
See more comments
Thanks Bob. I agree this is a place to let it hang out and the fires in Napa Valley follows months of fires in Montana where lives and memories went up in flames. Be good. Jay
Thanks for the reminder, Jay. One reason I want to do and be my best...and WA is a big part of that....is because the needs of people in this world astonish me still; and I want to do my part to help. I too often fail to stop and pay attention until the crisis becomes personal.