It would be hard not to write about a traumatic event – even if it works out all right in the end.

            Last weekend, the forest fire that ravaged parts of Okanagan Centre forced Joan and me to abandon our home on 15 minutes’ notice. It was an oddly liberating experience.

            We were lucky to have 15 minutes. One couple I talked with had less than two minutes. “I looked out my window and saw the flames shooting up the trees at the end of our yard,” she said. “We just ran out the door and into our car.”

            She assumed that their home was gone. She seemed astonishingly calm about it.

            Eight homes burned; about 30 others suffered damage.

            The fire moved so fast that no one had time to plan an orderly departure. According to one rumour, some people in a boat on the lake saw a wisp of smoke rising along the lakeshore. By the time they got 9-1-1 on their cell phone, the fire had already vaulted the road and was racing up the steep slope beyond.

Not totally unexpected

            The possibility of evacuation was not new. In the last 20 years, we’ve seen at least half a dozen forest fires in our area. But always across the lake. Or a safe distance from us. We had considered, theoretically, what to do, what to take, in an emergency.

            We’d take our pets, of course. And our passports and legal documents. I wanted to save my photographs, an irreplaceable compilation of experiences in over 60 countries. And 40 years of my journals. Joan had her own priorities.

            It’s amazing how rational plans simply vaporize in a real emergency. We stuffed an unwilling cat into his cage. We tossed a few days’ clothing into cases. Joan collected her jewelry and a few family pictures. I tucked my computer -- my life support system! – into the back seat of my car.

            Then we drove away. Just as three police cars came down our street to evacuate the whole neighbourhood.

Calm and courteous

            I was amazed at how calm, how polite, how considerate the police were. TV from the Excited States of America typically portrays police as a paramilitary SWAT team, yelling orders, brandishing weapons, an irresistible force.

            Not here. I’m so glad I live in Canada.

            We realized we had left behind some of Joan’s medical equipment. Also, the box containing all our legal documents.

            I went back. An officer stopped me at an intersection. A lone female officer. With no backup anywhere.

            I explained my errand.

            “I’m sorry,” she said. “That road is now closed. Do you have any other way of getting to your house?”

            “I could park along the waterfront and walk up a trail,” I replied.

            “Okay,” she said. “That area isn’t under evacuation order yet. Just don’t take long.”

            Twice more, over the next two days, I encountered the same courtesy. I have a new respect for cops and firefighters.

            And for politicians. Our ward councillor stood at that key intersection until 3:00 a.m., checking on the welfare of his constituents.

Kidding myself?

            Our house was never really in danger. So perhaps I’m kidding myself that I was prepared to lose everything if wind gusts had pushed the fire our way. But that was genuinely how I felt, at the time.

            My books? I’ve read them. They’ve influenced me; they’re no longer necessary.

            My journals? They started with grandiose notions of being like Samuel Pepy’s diaries of London in the 1660s. They have become more like a daily time for meditation and reflection. That will continue, regardless.

            My photos? To be honest with myself, who cares? Is anyone clamouring to see thousands of old slides? Hardly.

            The house? The garden? My tools? All replaceable. We’d grieve their loss, of course. But the memories would still be there, even if the physical objects were not.

            I find – somewhat to my surprise – that I’m not as attached to “things” as I thought I was. Relationships matter; objects don’t.

            I hope I’m not minimizing the trauma felt by the eight families in the community whose homes were reduced to charred rubble. I certainly do not want to go through that experience myself.

            I’m sure if I had come home to a charred wreck, I would feel differently. Friends tell me it takes years to recover – if ever.

            All I can say is that the prospect of losing everything did not terrify me. I learned something about myself that I didn’t know before. I’m almost grateful for that insight.

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Copyright © 2017 by Jim Taylor. Non-profit use in congregations and study groups encouraged; links from other blogs welcomed; all other rights reserved.

            To send comments, to subscribe, or to unsubscribe, write jimt@quixotic.ca

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YOUR TURN

About last week’s column on the wider effects of forest fires, Ginny Adams wrote, “Two columns in a row on ‘climate change’ -- and very much needed. We live in South Dakota and we are in a severe drought. Yet all the lawns are green, as are the golf courses, so I guess we have a good dose of blind faith that we'll not run out of potable water.  Now, thinking about your column on forest fires -- we face the same issues as with water.  By assuming we can and ought to control everything in our physical world, we're bringing on these disasters ourselves. I wonder if the dinosaurs had such difficulties and thus, brought an end to their world.”

Tom Watson drew attention to the heading, "Does anyone care?" for the last section of last week’s column. He wrote, “That is the question that should land with everybody like a wake-up punch in the gut. Evidence suggests that humans care when something affects our way of life, our economy, or inhibits our pursuit of the so-called ‘good life,’ but otherwise it's just not our problem.”

Bob Rollwagen made political connections: “You are right. Fire is brutal. I cannot imagine being so close to its terror.

            “Re Trump, like most events in life, there is pain and there is gain. Every bit of crazy-Trump-the-twit news that comes out hurts someone that is not as advantaged as he is. But at the moment, international tourism in Canada is booming, up 22% year over last year in Toronto alone.

            “CBC’s exposure of a prominent American supporter of ‘action to deal with climate change’ who changed his position totally to the ‘climate change is fiction’ side when he was informed of the cost of dealing with the issues, illustrates the level of ignorance that lies behind much of the leadership there. Similar to the twit’s comment ‘I did not realize how complicated the health system is.’ This is the person wanting to change it. The twit has little ability to change anything for the improvement of life in his country or the world except his own personal wealth.

            “Could one suggest that there is currently a wild fire un-attended burning to the south of us?”

Robert Caughell wrote, “Happy to hear that you are safe. Best wishes to you and all B.C. residents affected by the fires.”

            James Russell, Judith Fetter, and David Gilchrist echoed those sentiments.

David Gilchrist also had some suggestions for coping with water shortages and brown lawns. Ironically, as we were leaving our house (see column above) we were advised to turn on our irrigation system and leave it on, full blast. Our lawns looked a lot greener after the fire than before!

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TECHNICAL STUFF

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            My webpage is up and running again -- thanks to Wayne Irwin and ChurchWeb Canada. You can now access current columns and five years of archives at http://quixotic.ca

            I write a second column each Wednesday, called Soft Edges, which deals somewhat more gently with issues of life and faith. To sign up for Soft Edges, write to me directly at the address above, or send a blank e-mail to softedges-subscribe@lists.quixotic.ca

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PROMOTION STUFF…

            Ralph Milton ’s latest project is called “Sing Hallelujah” -- the world’s first video hymnal. It consists of 100 popular hymns, both new and old, on five DVDs that can be played using a standard DVD player and TV screen, for use in congregations who lack skilled musicians to play piano or organ. More details at www.singhallelujah.ca

            Ralph’s HymnSight webpage is still up, http://www.hymnsight.ca, with a vast gallery of photos you can use to enhance the appearance of the visual images you project for liturgical use (prayers, responses, hymn verses, etc.)

            Wayne Irwin's “Churchweb Canada,” an inexpensive service for any congregation wanting to develop a web presence, with free consultation. <http://www.churchwebcanada.ca>

            I recommend Isabel Gibson’s thoughtful and well-written blog, www.traditionaliconoclast.com

            Alva Wood’s satiric stories about incompetent bureaucrats and prejudiced attitudes in a small town -- not particularly religious, but fun; alvawood@gmail.com to get onto her mailing list.

            Tom Watson writes a weekly blog called “The View from Grandpa Tom’s Balcony” -- ruminations on various subjects, and feedback from Tom’s readers. Write him at tomwatso@gmail.com or twatson@sentex.net