As a California native who’s called Florida home for more than 20 years, I’ve seen the golden state as both a place that shaped my identity and as the location for hundreds of cherished memories: from my childhood in Glendora, to college in Orange County, to my first house in Auburn, to the start of my communications career in Sacramento.

‍

But even from afar, the devastation caused by the fires in southern California is both haunting and inspiring, reminding each of us not only of the fragility of life but the resilience of community when it matters most.

‍

In the heart of this recent calamity and like others before, a story of survival, loss and endurance unfolds, time and again. It’s a painful reality that these fires have been ravaging communities for years, upending a sense of place that can never truly be replicated. But amidst the destruction, it’s the unwavering strength that comes from the ties we share with one another that are the most profound.

‍

The deep, instinctual need to care for each other in times of crisis becomes our lifeline.

‍

Our Senior Art Director Elliot Asprey shared a poignant expression of this sentiment from musician John Mayer, whose recent social post about the fires struck a chord with many. Mayer explained,“...just behind the immeasurable loss of life is the loss of the proof of life. It’s the photos, letters, the class rings, the eyeglasses and the things we keep to remind us that those we loved were here.”

‍

In the wake of a disaster, we often come to realize that what we cherish most aren’t material things, but the intangible memories of shared experiences and the love we hold for our family and friends.

‍

When fires or storms sweep through communities, they take not just houses but the very heart of what makes those places home. Families are displaced. Businesses are destroyed. Landmarks are erased. And in those moments, as the heartbroken sift through what remains, it’s the memories we’ve created with others—the moments of shared joy, hardship and strength—that are irreplaceable.

‍

And it’s the community around us that becomes the greatest source of solace.

‍

As people have shared during countless interviews over the past weeks, when you lose your home and your belongings, it’s the strength of the people around you that lifts you up. It’s the friend who welcomes you with a hot meal after a long, sleepless night. It’s the local fire fighters and other first responders who risk their lives protecting our homes, our towns, even our pets. It’s the neighbor who offers a place to stay, a warm sweater, or even just a shoulder to cry on.

‍

That’s where the true value of life lies—not in the things we accumulate but in the way we show up for one another when it matters most.

‍

Recent events are a reminder that nothing is permanent. Our homes may be destroyed, our possessions may be taken, and the land may be forever altered, but the human spirit—the connections we form, the love we give, and the strength we share—can never be eliminated.

‍

That is the true gift of a community: the power to heal and rebuild together.

‍

Fires may burn in my native state just as hurricanes threaten my adopted one, but community always remains. And when we look back, it’s not the things we lose that will define us—it’s the people we find along the way.

Written by Lisa Luther, Director of Communications

‍