I got a call from my sister on Friday. She had gone to her ultrasound appointment with our mom and her husband. She wanted to share some of it with me.

We talked for nearly an hour and I can’t even begin to tell you how much that hour meant to me. It was such a joy to share in her excitement and to hear about the baby.

She said she had extra copies of the pictures made so that I could have one. I think I nearly cried.

The best thing, though, is that she invited me to her next doctor’s appointment so that I can hear the baby’s heartbeat.

I’m absolutely THRILLED about this. I can’t even adequately express it.

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The fires have now merged. Between the national news and the local news, numbers are differing by huge amounts. What we are hearing here is that the fires are well over 300,000 acres (over 500 square miles), over 30,000 people have been evacuated from about 8 small communities, and around 185 homes have been lost.

Yes, fire is natural. Yes, it is needed to repair and heal the earth and to go on growing.

It is devastating, though, when your home is in the direct path of that fire and everything you know is turned upside down. It’s no different than living in earthquake-prone areas or areas that are hit by tornadoes, hurricanes, and flooding. It’s no less devastating even though we understand it is natural.

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The fires are on everyones’ minds around here. We’re not too far from the Rodeo/Chideski fires (less than 150 miles) and we, too, are surrounded by that same pine forest. Where I am right now, at work, we have one road in and out. We are totally surrounded by ponderosa pines. Where I live, it is the same. If a fire starts at the road entrance to either of these places, we will be lucky to get out.

We are praying for the monsoons to start soon. We need the wet rains desperately.