... but not much else! Like so many others, my parents got out of the Camp Fire amid flames and smoke and chaos, with their cat and little else. 

The home they lost was not the home I grew up in, in fact, it was a home they bought after I was grown and gone. But it was a home that finally afforded them the space to display all the memories they had saved from a lifetime or two. Framed photos of generations of family, elevated refrigerator art by my siblings and I, and now our kids, trinkets created with love and treasured in even greater love, family heirlooms, bowls turned by my dad, cookbooks and family recipes... The list of Stuff is long before you even get to the furniture and household items that were lost, or the stored stuff in the garage that they had been sorting for those of us who had burdened them with our own items over the years. All of that is gone.

They are seeking the silver lining, just as they have always done, and framing this as something of an aggressive spring cleaning. "It's just stuff, we have one another!" For that, we are all grateful.

However, soon the flight instinct, and its endorphins, will subside. The liberation of the forced purging of Stuff, will give way to the reality that there are things they need! Their insurance will eventually help with housing, but it will not bring them back to whole - it will take some time just to reach that point. In the meantime, they do have needs and expenses while they process this whole ordeal. Everything from shoes (my dad's shoes are partially melted after running home to rescue my mom) and coats, gas for their car, food, all the way to bigger ticket items like first, last and deposit for a rental.

My goal here is to raise enough for them to have the resources to address the myriad decisions they now face without the added complication of weighing the cost of one basic need against another basic need. Please help me to raise the funds that will give them the buffer they need to find the mental and emotional space to process this whole ordeal and make time to recharge their spirits.

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GoFundMe Needs a few details about me as the organizer of this campaign, apparently the fact that all of the donors know these things is not sufficient for them... My name is Glen Peck, Alys and John are my mom and dad. I now live in Austin, TX but was born and raised in Paradise, CA - a town six generations of my family has called home. I have set mom up as the beneficiary of this campaign and granted her withdrawal access to the funds raised. They will spend these funds on all the things they see fit for recovery of mind, spirit, body, and home after losing everything in the Camp Fire. Thank you all for everything you do!