Colorado My Home

The last time I cried was yesterday. Tears of Joy. Because the Affordable Care Act was ruled constitutional in its entirety.


I know there are many people who are not happy about this. But I am.


Tears of sadness? The other night we took Mo to her first movie. We went to see "Brave," which I loved and the baby did so well in the movie. Holly and I were dying at how cute she was when it started...she was dancing and singing with the music, I could hardly even handle it.


That isn't why I cried.


On the way home from the movie I was perusing Facebook and I was overwhelmed by the pictures of the fires in Colorado.


Colorado my home.

http://www.reverbnation.com/open_graph/song/12606394 Listen to this song. Please.


Oh, beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain! For purple mountains majesty, above the fruited plain!


I hear those lyrics and I can't help but think of my home state. It's got the best of almost everything. Pride in being from Colorado is rivaled only by people from Texas, and maybe California. In my opinion.


Coloradans are extremely protective of their open spaces. It isn't something I've experienced in other state I've been to...we are obsessed with preserving the land for various reasons, some environmental, some recreational.


And it is on fire. I am so heartbroken.


I know this happens. A lot. Unfortunately, it has happened quite a lot in my lifetime. It never gets easier to deal with. Especially when so many are happening at once, and people are losing not only the land but the homes they live in. Our favorite places and spaces, consumed.


The world may very well end in fire. It's utterly frightening. And makes me weep.

Everything is not always all right. A lot of things will never make sense to me. There are fires in Utah as well, and apparently one in Pocatello, ID now. I walk outside and it smells like a giant campfire, usually a smell we associate with fun times but it is now the haunting smell of destruction. 

Before--The Flying Ranch, Colorado Springs. Photo credit BING screen shot

After--The Flying Ranch, Colorado Springs. Photo credit RJ Sanjosti, The Denver Post