Dear Kiantha: No silver lining to find in fire’s devastation

Dear Kiantha,

I lost everything in the fire. Everything I own. I evacuated my home and returned to nothing but rubble and debris. I don’t see a silver lining. I didn’t have much, but it was all I had.

Dear Friend,

Everything, all of the things, photographs, handwritten letters, your favorite coffee mug, the gifts you received from loved ones years ago, toiletries, family heirlooms … everything.

There is no amount of rebuilding that will restore what you have lost. No check from an insurance company after hours of itemizing what you can remember. No support from the Red Cross or local fundraisers will cover the loss that your heart has taken. This loss is about so much more than the material things. It is a loss of security, a loss of bearings.

I understand why you can’t see a silver lining, yet I want you to know that there is still hope.

Hope in the belief that when life-altering things, like a devastating fire, happen to us, it is not because we have done something to deserve it, nor is it meant to break our spirit, although its aftermath may leave us broken for many years to come. It is simply because life has a way of lifin’ for us all.

I would not minimize what you are dealing with by suggesting a simple resolution, like keeping your head up, but what I will suggest is that you somehow in your soul know that this too shall pass. With all of its pain, with all of the displacement left in the wake of the fire, this too shall pass.

My hope for you is that the memories of your home stay fresh in your mind. I pray that your heart be comforted as you build your new normal and that you are surrounded by people who will hold you in the hard moments to come.

There may be no silver lining to see, but there is a future to build, and you will do just that one step at a time.

Soul to soul,

Kiantha

Dear Kiantha can be read Fridays in The Spokesman-Review. To read this column in Spanish, visit www.spokesman.com. To submit a question, email DearKiantha@gmail.com.