Fires have raged across California in recent weeks. At the time of this writing, more than sixty homes have burnt to the ground.

The homes where these families have built memories, raised children, had game nights, cooked meals, and conducted all of the regular, mundane chores of day to day life – swallowed by flames. Gone.

Yet strength and the human spirit prevail.

In a radio interview, one fire victim explained that while she was given several hours to evacuate, what she chose to take with her was in the car in minutes: her photo albums, her insurance paperwork and her cat.

She took what couldn’t be replaced and left the rest behind. In the end, the other stuff didn’t really matter.

What a wonderful reminder this is; that we can love our surroundings, but that our surroundings are, at the end of the day, a product of our joys, our passions, and our determination. Fireproof things, one and all.

And while the stuff we collect can make us genuinely happy, if it's destroyed it is our joys, our passions and our determination that will help us rebuild.

[Editor's Note: If you are ever the victim of a disaster, we recommend Paul Davis Restoration at www.pdrestoration.com. Their network of contractors has been an innovative leader in the areas of property damage mitigation, reconstruction, and remodeling since 1966.]

[Main image via Flickr]