After the blazes

Tweet

Until you have experienced having your home destroyed by fire it's easy to comment on the whats, whys, and everything else. You can say it's easy for the poor to adjust to losing everything because they're poor but the rich have more to lose. That isn't true! The poor have more to lose. There is that picture their child drew in first grade that they have taped to the wall with pride. To them it is a Rembrandt. There is that pot there child made in 6th grade that they keep their pens in, to them it is a piece of priceless pottery. There is that pair of slippers that their child saved their pennies for to buy them for their mother for mother's day...or how about that crudely drawn valentine's card? To other people it may be garbage but to the poor person it's priceless. The other factor in the face of losing EVERYTHING in a fire is a poor person hasn't got the funds to buy replacement clothing to start with. Not only does a poor person have themselves to consider but usually they also have a family too. They don't have the money to buy their children the toys to replace the ones lost in the fire, or bicycles or skateboards or dolls or stuffed toys. They don't have the money to buy food either, they have to depend on places like the Salvation Army and other charitable organizations. Then there is another side to the effects of a fire, whether it be a small single home burning to the ground like my home, or a massive fire like the one in Paradise. It is the shock and the PTSD. Yes readers, those of us who have gone through losing our homes and everything to fire suffer from PTSD. I was diagnosed with it by both my primary physician and the psychologist that I was sent to. I have been in shock for the past 14 months. I am now just coming out of the state of shock. I'm still mourning for the loss of my beloved animals that were killed in the fire. I couldn't rescue them because I wasn't home when the fire started. You can read about that in the post "One normally doesn't hear about the rich and famous getting affected by wild fires" It was started by @allknowing. I will say I wasn't home because I had to be at a doctor's appointment and I did try to rescue my dog and cats. The point is I still cry over the loss, yes I am poor. I am very lucky because I have a wonderful neighbor who lives across the street and two doors up from where my house was who has taken me in. I have less than a thousand dollars a month coming in and renting a place is impossible, plus I couldn't get a job anyhow with the kind of disabilities I have. The thing is I depend on the neighbor for my housing, transportation (my car burned in the fire, I had gone to town with that same neighbor), and even for comforting when I start to feel bad about losing my home. I flash back to that night often, I still have nightmares about coming home and trying to struggle out of the firemen's arms to get into my flaming home to save my animals. I can still see the remains of my cats laying where they died and the fire claimed their fur and skin leaving their internal organs out for me to see...I got to see that the next morning when I went down to view the remains of my "home". So dear readers, when you think of the thousands of people who were burned out of their homes, don't look at them as rich or poor as much as victims of a horrific catastrophe. Yes, there are some of them that are a little better off then the others financially. But don't think of that when it comes time to help out. Don't judge them because they haven't contacted people to let them know that they're alright. They are still in shock and are simply existing day to day right now. Holidays aren't even in their minds right now, and even if they are thinking of holidays they aren't to anxious to celebrate them, I know I'm still not too anxious to celebrate Christmas with all the fancy trimmings and partying that goes with it. Thanksgiving was a quiet meal at a neighbor's with their parents. So, if you're near the area where the Paradise fire was and there is the call for donations, please give freely. Many of those people are older retirees who live on pensions. Some of them are like me and are on disability incomes. If you're passing along used clothing, please don't give ratty, torn, stained, worn out clothing. Give clothing that is still good. If you can't find clothing or blankets, give a couple of bucks. Remember that they have lost their entire lives in that fire. There these people lost everything, they're not looking for a hand out, just for some understanding and a bit of help. They've suffered enough!