Northern California has been united in tragedy this past week. But it has also been united in something else perhaps bigger than tragedy - acts of grace. Holly Hubbard Preston has this Perspective.
On Monday morning I woke up in our Napa Valley home to an ash-filled sky and sirens ringing out from every direction. The power was out as was our cell service, hot water and cable-based landline.
Tuesday afternoon, the power came back as did most other services. This proved bittersweet. While able to reach worried family members, our renewed connectivity availed us to a steady stream of grim news.
Several friends lost homes and almost their lives. Other lost jobs, businesses and schools. A former teammate of my son's was missing. A friend of my daughter's stopped by in tears explaining the winery where both her parents worked had burned to the ground, leaving her prospects for college in question.
While our family home in St. Helena was so far safe, alerts from local authorities warned us to be ready to evacuate on short notice.