Sunday October 8, 2017 was a great day. We enjoyed going to church, playing games as a family, and even headed to bed by 10 PM — a little earlier than usual. It was an extremely windy night and after a short time in bed I got up to close the windows because the gusts were so noisy that I was having hard time sleeping, not to mention the fact that things were blowing around even inside the house! A call at 1 AM from my husband’s senior care facility, just two blocks north of Molsbury Market, marked the end of our peaceful night’s rest for that night and for many nights to come. But the employee who called is not the hero of this story. 

After my husband rushed off to help evacuate his residents, I was left alone without electricity or phone connectivity and with four sleeping kids. One glance out the window at the solid red sky to the north brought on a feeling of panic and so I prayed that I would think clearly and quickly. Shortly thereafter, our next door neighbor knocked on the door to make sure we knew what was going on. I was very grateful that she was looking out for us, and that the whole neighborhood came together over the course of the next few hours, checking on one another and updating each other. But my wonderful neighbors are not the heroes of this story. 

At that point I was shaking so much that I realized I needed help from my two older children, so I woke them, explained what was going on, said another prayer, and began gathering supplies to evacuate our home which backs to Annadel State Park. At about 2 AM my husband called from the Hilton parking lot, which was as far north as they would let him go, to tell me that our friends who live just off the Los Alamos Road entrance to Mt Hood State Park had contacted him asking to come to our house. I was so glad they knew they could call, even at 2 AM. At about 3 AM they arrived. My two younger sons were still asleep, but the rest of us again prayed together for our own peace and safety, as well as for the safety of those families and responders who were already in a frantic battle with the fire. From then on, we all felt pretty calm, despite being awakened at 1 AM by a firestorm in our city! But even God is not the hero of this story. 

Along with their entire family of six, our friends brought their 8-year-old dog, Sensei. Sensei is a cute little Chihuahua terrier mix. I am not a dog person. In fact, I am not a pet person! I like to say that with four kids I have enough little lives to take care of without adding an animal to the mix. But on that dark and stormy night, little Sensei was my hero. When my 10-year-old son woke up to a home full of anxious family and friends, Sensei curled up next to him, letting my son stroke his back and replace some of his worries with calm. When I was fumbling around in the smokey darkness trying to track down important documents to bring with us, Sensei trotted over to me and looked up at me as though checking on how I was coping. He never whined, he never barked. True to his name, Sensei went quietly about his “work,” teaching us the art of peace amidst chaos. Sensei is the hero of this story. 

By 5:30 AM we agreed that the fire was growing in Annadel and sticking around did not make sense. We crammed Sensei and the kids into our packed cars and all headed to my in-laws home in the East Bay. I was a little nervous because, though I knew they would welcome our family and our friends, I did not know if they would welcome Sensei. Sure enough, as soon as my father-in-law saw Sensei he said: "Put that thing in it's cage.” It was a devastating welcome for our friends, and even for me. I had already adopted Sensei as my personal therapist and friend. I was very worried — we needed Sensei’s cuddles and company. As I prayed that night to know what to do, I realized that in an email update on our status sent out to our extended family, I could mention how much having Sensei was helping us all to feel calm. I wrote: 

Instead of getting less scary today, it feels scarier because the fire is that much closer. [Our friend’s] little dog (that evacuated with us) has been a real comfort for them and even for this anti-dog family, especially me and Peter. We are realizing how powerful and reassuring little things can be like petting a dog, or giving a hug, or really asking how someone is feeling, or getting a good nights sleep, or a taking a deep breath of fresh air. 

The next morning my father-in-law got up very early and drove to Santa Rosa to help my husband, so when we all came out in the morning he was not there to fuss about the dog. This was a huge relief to everybody. When he returned home late that afternoon he made an effort to see the good side of the dog and not get worked up about it. After that first, worst, and only negative moment, I was so proud of and grateful for the way my in-laws sought to appreciate Sensei. That was a HUGE blessing. I do not think our friends would have stayed if it had continued to be a sore spot, and I already understood that we, including Sensei, would get through this together. 

Sensei was such a good sport throughout our evacuation. He buoyed our spirits from that first worry-full night, till our last night together 10 days later, as we shared a meal of gratitude for the many blessings we had witnessed despite the devastation. Sensei taught me to settle down, to check in with those around me, and to calmly adjust to cramped and unfamiliar conditions (in his case, a travel cage!). I am still not a dog person, but I will always be Sensei’s number one fan!