Then It Rained

...and we will be ok.

Dear Friends,

The refrain “Happy New Year!” doesn’t roll off the tongue as it has in years past.

The Los Angeles Fires that ushered in 2025 here in my town have weighed heavily on all of us Angelenos. I don’t know one local who has not been shaken to their core with disbelief and sorrow by this catastrophe.

Many were forced to evacuate with little, to no time to grab, let alone pack anything. Others of us held our breath watching our fire apps to see if we were next. Upon my family getting the “Ready, Set” evacuation order, we made haste to pack our most cherished and important bits of our lives as the glow of fire began to summit the mountain ridge a few miles from our home.

And for those of us whose homes have ultimately been spared, I think all of us Angelenos personally know someone who has lost their home and/or their business. Close personal friends, friends of friends, immediate family, family of friends. It is one to two degrees of separation, not six.

And the impact is wide and enduring. Entire communities are obliterated that will take years and years to rebuild. Schools, recreational centers, churches — the hubs of neighborhoods — are gone. Literally gone. No power, no clean water, and invisible toxic air emanating with new fires continuing to ignite.

While certain community centers are gone, our fellowship is not. It is especially in these times that our presence for those most impacted is felt, assuring them that they are not alone. Meal trains. Places to stay. Words of encouragement. Donations. Relevant expertise and time given freely to sort through next and future steps of rebuilding.

And…

Our thoughts woven into the story we tell ourselves determine how we experience life unfolding, including tragedy.

This isn't about being Pollyanna-ish or dismissing the real struggle and heartache present. Rather, it is bringing consciousness and intention to how we are moving through our current reality.

In processing the loss of their own home, Lakers coach, JJ Redick, and his wife, Chelsea, reminded their two young sons who had amassed an irreplaceable collection of sports memorabilia, all of which was now in ashes, to “value people over things.”

This simple statement is a critical step in helping all of us begin the process of healing. “We value people over things.”

In order to overcome trauma, as renown psychiatrist Daniel Siegel tells us, we must integrate our experience with a cohesive narrative that makes sense. Reframing what happened from something overwhelming to something manageable and meaningful. “We value people over things.”

When we do this, we help establish emotional regulation, self awareness, and resilience. We heal.

So in times that feel insurmountably heavy, we put in practice safe guards. Can we catch ourself in the darkness, witness ourself, and create a little space to offer a hopeful message to ourself? Can we expand our thoughts to include the affirmation, the intention “and we will be ok.”

Sending love,