As smoke appeared on the horizon and the ridges started to glow an angry red, decisions had to be made… what stays and what goes. People had to start making choices as to what meant the most to them.

Ultimately, with the warmth on their face, they really only took the one thing that they could… their lives; their most precious and prized possession; the thing from which all other things stem.

Should we wait until faced with the same losses before we figure out that in the center of it all is US. We are in the center of our own lives; whether guided by Natural or Mystical forces. Life can only be present when we’re presently living it.

Life, it’s what we live for.

………………………………..

Practical lessons from all this:

• Have all the things you’d grab in an emergency in one place; easy to get to.
• Have copies of all your important documents (birth certificates, insurance, etc) in another place, outside your home. Preferably in another state, far away should something happen nearby.
• Have contact info. for all those people you’d need to reach in an emergency.
• Don’t just rely on one form of communication. Phones do fail; computer networks get clogged.
• Have everything prepared ahead of time, so you can feel more secure.
• Live your life as if it matters. Don’t wait for the threat of loss to remind you of that.