Remembering

Tomorrow is the first anniversary of the Victorian Black Saturday bushfires. It's still incomprehensible to remember the uncontrollable destruction and loss of life and property that occurred.

Most of us had no idea what had happened until the next day. The day was the hottest on record, and I was at home with a sick 8-week-old, praying desperately for the cool change to come through. It eventually came about 6pm, but little did I know the devastating impact that change would bring. In hindsight I wouldn't have been praying quite so hard if I'd known!

Tomorrow at our church we will be praying for those who continue to be affected by the fires: Those who lost loved ones and homes, those who were involved in trying to fight the fires, those who were directly involved in trying to pick up the pieces in the aftermath. And also for those who weren't directly involved but who have still been significantly affected. It was incredibly confronting to realise the fragility of life and how quickly things can change and be gone.

It was amazing to see the wider community response to the crisis (though it would be even better if that sort of generosity was a part of everyday life). I was especially heartened to see the response around blogland when I discovered this place a few months later!

Let us not forget the lessons we learned from that day.