Shortly after the fires East of Eugene began, I went for a walk in Amazon Park near my home. When I came home, I went to wash my hands, and saw in the mirror that my face and hair was dotted with small pieces of black ash. They were irregularly shaped. Just as each snowflake is unique, I noticed with a shock that so is each piece of ash. Suddenly I knew
Trust in God
O God, our times are in your hands: For a Birthday, p. 830, BCP
Rarely have I been forced to trust more completely in this most basis tenet of our faith than this past week. The Holiday Farm fire has devastated our beloved McKenzie Valley. It pains me to even imagine driving through this valley that for as long as I've lived in Oregon I’ve considered one of the most beautiful anywhere. Vastly more important than scenery, of course, is the fact that this conflagration caught the residents of Blue River completely by surprise Labor Day evening, forcing them to flee for their lives leaving their homes to the flames.
