Posts Tagged ‘The Fire’
Chapter 31 | Beep Boop Beep, Just One Door = Progress
I am a doer, a strategizer. When I’m presented with a problem my brain goes in to this weird computing mode. If it was a 1970s SyFy show there would be little lights blinking and beep, boop, beep sounds going off all while a motorized, monotone voice repeatedly said “computing”. Then the plan of action…
Read MoreChapter 30 | Our Current State, Plus A Few More Fire Engines
I’ve been writing this in my head for weeks. There’s actually a file called “writing” on my computer that’s well over 2,000 words, were I’ve started it several times. Each time is different. Sometimes the writing is fueled by anger, sometimes despair, sometimes exhaustion. It’s taken several weeks, but this is the first time I’ve…
Read MoreChapter 29 | Dear Yoga, I’m Sorry by Chris
This weekend will mark the anniversary of our house fire, truly a life event that propelled us onto a completely different course and altered the timeline of our lives. I haven’t written in a long while. Harvey happened and my entire city felt like I had been feeling for 8 months, lost and sad and…
Read MoreChapter 28 | Dear California, There is Hope by Chris
One thing I learned in therapy during the last 8 months is when there is tragedy, no matter the cause, the emotional response is always the same. During Harvey I knew how the victims felt, not because our house flooded, but because I know what it feels like to loose everything suddenly. I know what…
Read MoreChapter 27 | When Panic Attacks by Chris
I thought I was done with panic attacks. It really has been months since I last had one. If I think on them hard enough I can still feel the remnants of the feelings, they linger in my mind and in my heart. After a very full day of volunteering I received the following email.…
Read MoreChapter 26 | Houston Strong, Texas Proud by Chris
We spent five days sitting in our house waiting for tragedy. Honestly after you experience tragedy, there’s a part of you that’s always expecting it again. I watched people get off boats both in person and on TV and while most of them are smiling, there is an instant where there is a blank stare. It’s…
Read MoreChapter 25 | Oh, Hey Hurricane Harvey
Bill and I had a big weekend planned this weekend exploring areas of our state we had never seen. We were going to spend Friday going to see the George W Bush Presidential Library and then spend the evening with friends in Bryan, TX. Saturday morning we were heading to Waco to see the mammoth…
Read MoreWith Glad and Sincere Hearts by Chris
I have been trying to write about this for a while now. There are a lot of emotions attached to this experience, there’s a lot of pain and hurt and guilt and all the things I’ve written about thus far. They are the things that take time to work through, the things you have to…
Read MoreChapter 24 | Unforced Rhythms of Grace by Chris
Noise is hard. Drama is hard. One of my favorite TV shows is The Walking Dead. I have a slight fascination with zombie based lore. Our fire was on a Friday, the new season premiered two days later on Sunday. I haven’t been able to watch a single episode. Watching a show that places me…
Read MoreChapter 23 | The Process: Day of The Fire
I’ve had people reach out and say, “My friend/sister/dad/aunt experienced a fire today, what can I do? Where do they begin?” So we wrote this down as a small guide. This is a wild beast of a day. The best I can suggest is delegate. The Office Bag My mom, in her infinite wisdom the…
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