Hearts Aflame

I had meant to post this a few weeks ago but things need to be done, and blogs get left behind in the flurry of fall activities I'm afraid.

The recent 49 fire that happened here near our urban farm on Monday has been put out and we are glad to be back to our regular routine. Word finally came through that it was a faulty power line that caught a telephone pole on fire across from the Auburn Faith Hospital and burned over sixty buildings. Apparently, someone took a picture of it with their cell phone before the fire escaped (thank goodness for technology! ;) We are slowly coming out of our state of shock. If anything good came from this disaster, it was the immense sense of community support that was shown to the victims by many individuals of this area and the city. Govorner Schwartzeneggar even took the time to visit members of the neighborhood that was affected. My brother, George, has already been volenteering with a small community of supporters distributing donations at the local recreational park. George was always the first one to lend someone a helping hand and is definitely the ambassador of goodwill in the family. He was part of the very first relief teams during the Hurricane Katrina crisis in New Orleans and helped many families to gut their houses and start to rebuild.

Our family has long been aware of the great need for compassion in this world and have all put time in for key causes. My mother, Marcella, has donated her time at local area schools as an art docent, taught chinese speaking children english when we kids were small and has volunteered for the Mountain Mammas. My father, Charles Green, has put untold hours in attending community meetings and has been a pioneer fighting for small farms and wineries in Placer County. He was given Placer County's "Friend of Agriculture" award, one of the highest praises for a winemaker dedicated to the soil. Personally, working at animal shelters and with special needs people has always been a passion of mine. I also recently spent spring break from college working with Habitat for Humanity and have gained an appreciation for people coming together for a common cause.

For our family, these acts of kindness are something we hold very dear to our hearts. It was not too long ago that my Mother and Father struggled to pay the mortgage and, thankfully, a local church once provided us with a Thanksgiving dinner we couldn't have afforded. My brother and I vividly remember times like this. Luckily, we were never raised to value "things" that much but found happiness in coming together as a family and working together through thick and thin. Maybe it is through these early experiences that shaped our passion to help others as well.

But this isn't just about a family tradition that we strive to continue. Many of our friends and communtiy choose a path with heart as well. This is the purpose of our blog, to show that even the little things count, and the reason why we work at taking these steps every day.

The road to revolution begins at home.