Home Comfort

The fires that are raging all across Southern California are utterly devastating. The news channels are on 24/7 with evacuation plans, State of Emergency announcements, tragedies all around us. This morning at 6 am the smoke was so powerful when I let Bella outside for her morning break that I had to shut the door. There is ash and soot all over cars, houses and patios covering like a blanket of dirt. My home backs up to a very large canyon with no homes behind me and I worry that the gusty winds might spark something up in my neighborhood.

The last time this happened I spent days and days at the American Red Cross helping out families that had been displaced with food and medical attention. It is such a humbling experience. Basic human need. I pray that today they will be able to get a handle on some of these fires in hopes that remaining homes and lives will be spared. And today, I cherish my home. My little comfortable place that makes my family feel safe and loved. And I hope that everyone reading this will feel the same. Blessed.

Comments

[Laura venosa -DellaPorta]

Love your style!!! I am new at this blogging but want to learn how to be a blogger.
I am also working on a website.
blessings to you & your family this Holiday season
Laura Venosa DellaPorta

[Andrea S.]

Heahter~ I'm sending prayers to you and all residents affected in any way. This is such a horrific disaster. I hope Mother Nature settles soon and life as normal can begin to resume.
Hugs,
Andrea

[Daisy Cottage]

(((((Heather)))))
Sending you all of my love, and heartfelt prayers that you and your family and home stay safe and sound.

xo,
Kim

[chris]

Praying for you all to be safe & for your home & city to remain untouched byt these awful fires. I was talking to a customer of mine who lives in ca. & is quite a distance fom the fires & it is raining ash down on them even that far away. Prayers for you all~

[marné]

Keep safe Heather! I live in the mountains east of San Diego, and we are usually the ones to be evacuated, but have been lucky so far. It truly is hellish out there, with the smoke and heat and wind.

[Sweet Pea]

Blessings to you for safety. I have nominated you for the you make me smile award. Please see my blog.

Prayers are with you,

Shelley

[Rosemary]

Me too Heather.
We are the same here in Thousand Oaks. Sooty, ashey and ugly.
Glad the wind has died down today.
Rosemary

[paige]

sweet heather....one of the blessings of blogland is being able to connect with woman across america that otherwise we might never "meet", so i am even more aware of the devestation in CA & praying for you now..
xo

[Amy]

Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone involved in this devastating fire. Keeping you close to our hearts...

[Tonya Cartwright]

Our prayers go out to you and all of Southern California! As I watch it pour down rain outside my window, I wish I could send some your way! Stay Safe!
Tonya Cartwright
Anacortes, WA

[Heather G. Young]

Hope you, your family and home stay safe!

By the way, I love the table and chairs in that photograph. May I ask where they're from? Or are they antiques? I've been looking for something like that for a long time! The only thing similar I have found is this (http://www.thecamomilecupboard.co.uk/index.php?mod=product&id_prd=599), but it's in Britain!

[sanya]

Hi Heather,
My thoughts and prayers are with you & all in So. Cal. I have been through it as well when I lived there having to evacuate in my old neighborhood of Stevenson Ranch, so I know what you are feeling. God bless you & yours & stay safe.
Sanya

[Alexandra]

Oh, Heather, I do hope a divine hedge of protection will be placed around your home sweet home.
Alexandra

[Kelly]

I'm glad to hear you're okay. I live in GA and have been hearing all about what's going on in CA right now and thought about you. I knew you lived in CA and wondered if you were affected. Hopefully, as you said, the winds will die down and the firefighters will get this under control somehow. My husband is a firefighter. We are experiencing a severe drought (despite the rain this week) and have been told to pay attention to your area because that could happen here due to the dry conditions. Hasn't the weather been strange lately? Good luck to you in CA and we will all pray for LOTS of rain! That is what will help you and us in the long run.

Kelly

[traci]

heather, my prayers are with you and all affected. please stay safe!

[Robyn]

Praying for all those affected by the fires! Oh how miserable and terrifying at the same time!

[Sue]

We have been hearing it all on our news every hour here in Sydney Australia.It is absolutely amazing, and so devastating!So many homes lost, and so many people evacuated! We have been preparing ourselves here for a hot summer, and bushfires, as it is so dry , but we havent ever lost that many homes...We are thinking of you all.

[Joy Bayer]

I am so aorry that you and all your 'neighboors' are going through this horrible time. I will continue to keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
Joy

[Elaine L.]

Heather,

I live 30 miles north of the Saugus/Santa Clarita fire. Since, the wind is blowing toward the ocean, we haven't been getting ash or smoke. We do have people from the Santa Clarita area evacuating to our high schools.

We live in the hills and had to evacuate our home a year, ago.
At the time, in my moment of clarity, I grabbed my photo boxes, daughters baby momentos,legal papers, and medications. At the time, that is what seemed important.

God Bless the Firefighters!

~elaine~

[laura]

it really is awful, isn't it? we are just a few miles from the foothill ranch fire, and it is really like hell on earth up there. i hope you and your family stay safe. love your sentiment today.

[Pinkie Denise]

Oh it is so scarey I can't imagine what it must be like for everyone.
I have been hearing on the news, we
are in the north and lots of firefighter are leaving to help from here. I will be praying for all to be safe and the fire be put out soon.Pinkie Denise

[Teresa]

I am so glad you checked in, as I was worried about the California bloggers. Stay safe, and my deepest prayers are with you and your family and neighbors.

Teresa
xo

[nelda]

Yes, we do feel blessed. You are in our prayers today. We'll be anxious to know you are safe.

[Carol]

Dear Heather,

Sending prayers to you and your family that God will keep everyone safe as well as your beautiful home.

Blessings,
Carol

[kara garber]

H-
I was wondering how you were doing. I hope they get these fires under control. Take care.
Best,
Kara & Darcy too

[Karla Smith]

Hi Heather, I'm also in Southern California. We live very close to the Foothill Ranch area with winds moving quickly our way. Our homes are in a wilderness canyon area too. Our town is filling up quickly with people that have lost homes or have been evacuated. We still are hoping the winds will calm but the smoke and ash is getting thicker by the minute. It sure makes you think what to grab! Stay safe.
Karla Smith

[lucy]

I will be thinking of you and those around you in CA--it is just so tragic all that has transpired by the hands of Mother Nature. I pray that you stay safe as does your precious home.
My thoughts and prayers-lucy

[Tammy]

Please stay safe. We're all sending prayers for a quick end to these fires. Take good care.

[Firefly Hill]

Thinking of you Heather and hoping that you and your home and family stay safe!

[DENISE]

Wish we could send some of the rain we've been having your way. We are certainly praying for everyone there.

[Joy]

It is just devastating to watch on the news - I can't even imagine what it must feel like to be so close. Prayers are with you and your fellow Californians...

[Tara]

Heather I will try to call you again tonight. I think Nick wrote down the wrong number from your last message. I am thinking of you everyday, stay safe sweet friend! ~xo

[laura]

Please stay safe heather. I have a few friends that live near there also, and I just couldn't believe how devastating this fire is until I watched the news.I had no clue if was so big!I am praying for everyones safety.Do they know how it got started?

[Veronica]

Stay safe Heather.... thinking of you and yours...

[teresa mcfayden]

Thanks for the update Heather. I keep worrying about everyone I know who live in your area and hope they are ok. My praters go out to you, your family and to everyone in your area in hopes that they are safe.

[K. Winch]

Mother Nature please spare your children in Southern California.. my thoughts are with everyone there..here in Atlanta we have seen a little rain as we struggle with an awful drought..stay safe

[Jen ~ ARTful Dreamer]

Positive thoughts for you Heather ... may you and those around you remain safe.

[sandra dias]

I M PRAYING THAT THE FIRE WILL NOT THOCH YOUR HOME GOD IS WITH YOU BLESSINGS AND PREYERS

[sondra]

From the east coast, our hearts go out to you and your neighbors in California. You're in our thoughts and our prayers!

[heidi]

it is so devastating! all my friends in so-cal are saying the same thing, and just praying that the winds will stop so they can get the fires under control. we'll be thinking of all of you and hoping for all to be safe. xo