Grab & Run!

     Having lived overseas for 20+ years, I have often rehearsed in my head what I would do if I ever found myself in a "rapid evacuation". It's the kind of thing that you never think will happen to you, but Ruth and I have talked for years about what we might take with us in that kind of scenario.

View to the East as Daniel Left for School at 6:37 a.m.

     As our son Daniel was on his way to school yesterday, we noticed thick billowing smoke in the sky above our apartment. As we looked around the side of our building we saw the source... the beginnings of what now is being called the "Colby Fire" in Los Angeles. As Daniel headed off to school I decided to keep an eye on the smoke plume coming from behind the hill to the east. Within half an hour the flames had crested the hill and the westerly Santa Anna winds were driving the flames down the other side, hopping and leaping as they came. It took just 15 minutes more before the flames were so close that we started packing our most precious belongings.... we were in the midst of our very own "grab & run" nightmare.

View to the East at 7:10 a.m.

     So what would you take with you? How would you prioritize your belongings? What are the most important things in your life that you would not want to lose in a fire? We had only 10 minutes to think about that, grab them and get them to the car. Ready?... Set?... Go!

     Priorities are a tricky thing. We think we can't live without a lot of things in our lives... the latest fashion, that big screen TV, our favorite book series, that ultimate stereo system, our baseball hat collection... But are those the really important things in life?

View to the West at 7:34 a.m. as We Drove Off the Property

      Family memories were at the top of our list. Photo albums were the first things in the car. Then hard drives and computers, cameras, medical records, passports & birth certificates. In the rush to get out before the fire got to us we didn't have time to pack any clothes. By the time we left the property the Colby Fire had already burned behind our apartment and was headed down the hill to the west, threatening to block our way of escape.

      So I would just like to encourage you today to think about what is really important to you? Hopefully you will never find yourself in a "grab & run" situation like we did, but if you only had 10 minutes to clear out of your house, what would you take with you? Then remember to thank God for those things, and His protection over you each and every day.

Doug

PS. The fire burned to within 100 yards of our apartment. We are all safe and have returned to our apartment, thanking God for his protection of us and the Church of the Open Door, on whose grounds our apartment sits. Thanks for praying for us. You can see more pictures on my Facebook page by clicking on... https://www.facebook.com/DouglasBWeber .