Why I Didn’t Write My Regular “Week in Review” Blog Post This Week

This week my heart was too heavy to write my usual blog post. The devastating fires in Los Angeles destroyed more than just homes and businesses, they destroyed a part of the city’s history, its beauty, and the memories of families…including my own.

Los Angeles was my second home growing up. My mother and I spent summers there with my grandparents, aunt and uncle, and cousins. We ate tuna sandwiches at Santa Monica Beach, drove on Sunset Blvd in the 70s to gawk at hippies, had spaghetti at Andre’s on Wilshire, and went to the Beverly Pony Park after church on Sundays. I always started out the summer begrudgingly (why can’t I stay home where my friends are??) and I was always all shy with my cousins at the start, but by the end of the summer I felt lovingly cocooned by so much family in one home.

That’s why watching news of the fires felt so personal. Some of my family still lives there (thankfully, they’re safe), but of the five families who left Los Angeles in recent years, three have lost their previous homes entirely. Gone. Just ashes where once there were homes filled with history, personality, and charm.

My one cousin lived in her charming Alta Dena home for almost 40 years, raising their three girls, hosting friends and family’s weddings in their beautiful backyard. She always talked about renovating the small, original kitchen, because she loved cooking for people, and thought nothing of preparing meals for 10, 20, or 30 (or more!) at holidays and family events. I secretly was glad they never did because that kitchen was so charming with the original cream cabinetry and glass knobs, thick spanish tile countertops, and separate breakfast nook. And now it’s all gone. On Instagram I saw a video the new owners took of the rubble that is left in that beautiful home’s stead. I can see the family room…and “my” room where I would sleep when I visited. It was heartbreaking. Of course I’m infinitely grateful that my family was not there to have to bear this, but I’m sad for the “new” people who were probably still settling in and enjoying their lovely “new” home.

These weren’t just any homes that were lost in the fires…many these were pieces of history from the 1920s and 1930s, built at a time when attention to detail mattered. The kind of homes with carved wooden beams, colorful tiles, and quirky touches that made every room feel like a fairy tale. Arched phone niches in the hallway, peep-hole doors in the front door, scrolly wrought-iron work around the windows.. The kind of homes you just can’t replicate today.

People often say, “As long as everyone got out safely, that’s all that matters.” And, of course, they’re right in that people are irreplaceable. But that “stuff” people dismiss as uninmportant is not just stuff. It’s baby pictures and handwritten recipes. It’s souvenirs brought home from your honeymoon. It’s photo albums and family heirlooms and prized possessions. These things aren’t just “stuff” – they remind us of moments and people we cherish.

And the animals!!! It’s surprising how much “livestock” there is in LA! Horses, donkeys, goats, sheep, chickens…and of course, beloved family pets. My heart is torn in two seeing all the confused, scared animals wandering around. Most of them seem to know that humans will help them, and I’ve seen deer, skunks, rabbits, and mountain lions (!) approaching people or settling down in people’s yards.

These fires should remind us of the fragility of the things we often take for granted. Our homes, our communities, our shared history…they can all disappear in an instant. It’s a reminder to appreciate what we have, to take photos of the people and places we love (and store them digitally!), and to spend more time with the people who make those places feel like home.

So…I didn’t write my regular blog post this week. But I hope this serves as a reminder to hold the ones you love close and to honor the memories tied to the “stuff” that might seem trivial until it’s gone.

To all those affected by the Los Angeles fires, my heart is with you. And to Los Angeles, my second home, you’ll rebuild. But we’ll miss the pieces of you we’ve lost.

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Unfortunately, the pictures I have of my time spent in Los Angeles are all back in Florida in Katie’s guest room closet. I have these two pictures from my cousin’s Facebook account…before…and after.