Wildfires non-stop in the news these days. And sadly, they are all occurring in places that I’ve either worked in or that I’ve recently visited. I’m lucky to not personally be in the fire zone, but all of a sudden, everything feels that much closer to home.

I was supposed to go up to Yellowknife to work for a few days. Of course, everything had to be cancelled. The city that I’ve known for several years now was being evacuated. My heart felt sick and worried for friends and colleagues, and for that beautiful place that welcomed me each time I went. The skies where the aurora borealis put on their first ever performance for me were now turned into a hazy patch of smoke. My heart sobs.

Thankfully, the fires are not in Yellowknife itself, at least not yet. But as I kept trying to wish that everything would be fine, I learned that the flames were nearing in on yet another beautiful city, Kelowna.

Mom and I had just visited the area about one month ago. Its warmth and beauty melted our hearts. Its waterfront, so peaceful and tranquil that I could easily sit there for hours, simply daydreaming. But now, the mountain in that same waterfront picture has become a line of fire, like heaven next to inferno.