How beautiful the leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their
last days.
-John Burroughs, author
1837-1921
when i first moved away from 'home' i lamented the loss of ocean access as well as the abundance of maple trees. i was am homesick a lot.
one of the loveliest gifts i have received was a box of maple leaves sent by post that my sister had gathered for me. and a dozen years later i still cannot part with them.
this once a year modeling gig is hard work
36 months
i am not one to get too personal here.
i like to share craft projects + let you see a glimpse into my interests in vintage collecting. or tell you about a recipe you might enjoy. i love taking the photos i post here and i am always happy to "see" you stop by. i like things to be positive + light.
but, today is different.
one of my younger sisters lost her home to a fire this week.
we are so thankful that she and her family had left for the day a few hours earlier and that everyone including my young nephew are safe. living in a small community has its many challenges, 4 rural fire departments fought the fire, however the home was not able to be saved. the firefighters had some difficulty coaxing out their beloved family dog, but thankfully he made it out, unharmed.
my sister works in health care. she is not used to asking for help. she is used to providing it. on the morning of the fire as she was driving frantically back to her house she was met at the driveway by a neighbor who had been waiting for her arrival. although the area was teeming with people and fire trucks he did not want her to go onto her property alone. he said to her, "i'm going to take care of you, just like you took care of me in the hospital."
the amount of support that her tiny community has extended has been incredible--from gathering clothes and school supplies for her son, to acting as 'security guard' watch overnight on their property.
my sister volunteers a lot of her time for public events, festivals and concerts when nurses are needed. she has been a volunteer firefighter. she has a compassion for her patients that is often commented upon. i often tease her that thank goodness i am 9 years older than her, so she can look after me when i get to the geriatric stage. she says i should be careful what i wish for.
i speak with everyone several times a day, lots of tears have been shed. sometimes unbearable silences. but we know someone is on the end of the line.
as you may imagine we are all still processing this week's events and know there is a very long road ahead. school is about to start in a few weeks, accomodations need to be found, a soon- to- be 9 year old has a birthday to celebrate.
we are doing what we can as a family but i am so thankful for the community support and the kindnesses that have been extended to her and her family.
it is very difficult to live far away when tragic life events occur to those we love and in light of some things that have made the news lately there are some smaller positive feats of human kindness that often go unnoticed but certainly deserve a headline or two.
