My Mom is resting, the fires got some rain. It has been a hard week, um...month.

The careless words of a friend have reverberated in my head when I settle to rest at all. But I have not rested for weeks.

The fires will go. I'll see Mom. I feel grateful. And, I guess, I feel awed.

I lost "everything" at age 12. It took me decades to understand that it wasn't everything.
What I'd lost was only things, illusions, community, ideas, options, trust, and hope. Understanding came only in stages.
At 52, more trust and hope are in my go-bag.
I'm still here. I've made it this far.