It was exactly one year ago.
It was the first day of school when the skies became smokey. Fires began to grow and eventually ripped through our region. Over 2,800 homes were lost when it all was said and done. Currently, a year later, the air outside is smokey. This morning, the ground was covered in ash. It seems to be a moment of remembering all the loss of a year ago for our community. Yesterday, we started back to school again. The sky was smokey and the air was thick with smoke yet again.
I was not impacted nearly the same way as many in our community. I know the impact the events of last year had on many but I am grateful that I was not a victim of the fires that ravaged our communities. However, the tensions for me were still high. The memories are still there, stored in my body and subconscious.
I was not impacted nearly the same way as many in our community. I know the impact the events of last year had on many but I am grateful that I was not a victim of the fires that ravaged our communities. However, the tensions for me were still high. The memories are still there, stored in my body and subconscious.
I share this to gently remind us all that we notice. We remember.
Often times, we don’t allow time to process events. Situations. Emotions. Eventually, the moment passes. Then, something shows up, bringing up the emotions and memories and the trauma that was not processed. Sometimes we have processed so we only have some residue show up. Other times, we struggle to have any processing and it all comes back as though we are reliving the same situation with the same intensity of emotions. Wow. Is it not fascinating how our bodies and mind work?
