Living the Mission

At Dawn by Ed Mervine

At dawn,
the San Gabriels are back,
stunningly beautiful, majestic, serene, and today, cloudless and smoke free.
At dawn,
our house stands untouched save for portable water, toxic air, and a garden filled with debris.
At dawn,
across the street,
a Craftsman and garden,
home to three generations of Jones’... gone...

Sunday, January 12 at dawn, the skies over Pasadena were perfectly clear. The visibility of the San Gabriel Mountains after being hidden by smoke and fiery chaos for five days marked our own transition from fearing for our lives to knowing we survived. The Mountains tell us that life goes on. 

We are all survivors and we all have our own story of survival. These range from the number of days spent cleaning debris to partial or total loss of home and, in too many cases, loss of life. All stories describe the many forms of healing that will continue for months and years.  All include the healing arising from giving and receiving. 

This is where the Pasadena Village is at its best and reveals its true strength: When the lifelong drive to find purpose and meaning through helping others meets a seemingly insurmountable and unyielding threat an explosion of energy and creativity occurs. The fires were one such event and the Village one such container of potential energy. 

In the Village, on a daily basis, this is manifest most clearly in the creation, planning, execution, and delivery of programs for the well-being of all. In this emergency, it is seen in the hundreds of individual and group acts ranging from delivery of air purifiers or opening a spare room to a Villager whose house was lost or a community brunch for all survivors. These are all acts of giving and examples of much needed assistance but there is more: the healing survivors receive through giving.  

When we receive, we know we are supported and cared for and included. When we give, we are rewarded with a strong sense of connection and trust. When we both receive and give, we know we are part of community and we are in control of our own lives.

Bridget Brewster’s story is one of many examples. Bridget is the Editorial Team Leader, a job that is part cajoling, part handholding, and part coach in the best of times. Bridget lost her home but at a meeting less than two weeks later she directed the Editorial Team’s preparation of a special edition of Voice of the Village. Her comment, “This feels normal. The fire messed with my life, but life goes on. This meeting feels normal.”

Giving and receiving are two sides of the same coin. They also capture the essence of the Village community. Village life can be summarized as hugs, coffee, trust and opportunities to contribute. I can choose to contribute. My life is not over. I’m in control of my life.

*To See More Experiences With The Fire, Click on #LAFires