Carol Mackay Mertz

My son and his family live in the Bay Area of California. I write this, as an unprecedented amount of California, Oregon, and Washington have burned, and continue to burn producing air quality that is dangerous. I watch the satellite imagery of fires exploding like the blow torch I use on my sculpture…in real time. No Hollywood pyrotechnics…this is real life.

Cal Fire is the best in the world, my son assures me with a narrative of their accomplishments. His assessment of Cal Fire reassures me and yet, I read that those professional fire persons are getting physically exhausted from the unrelenting demand of the early and intense fire season. I read those brave humans have three more months of the fire season and already four times as much land has burned as in any other year.

There are no words here from this writer’s mind or heart or soul to explain, to make sense of this moment in the saga of human life.

My three and a half year old grandson does not like the lightening or the fact that going outside to play has become a rare occurrence, having been outside three days in the last 30.

Many dear humans are suffering in this moment from these fires.

There is no blame. We do not solve problems with blame. Going forward, we will call upon all of those who understand what is truly happening and ask them to help solve these deep complex issues of imbalance. Perhaps one to help solve these issues will be our grandson.

But for now we can BE with those in distress and discomfort, rage, and disillusionment. We can vote, we can choose higher ground, and we can Be a force of positive investment in all of our futures.
Now is the time.

Choose well.

Choose NOW to change the course of human history.

Peace be with you.