Deep Gratitude

Photo by Chuck Hoffman © Genesis+Art

Holden Village, Washington  

Today we said goodbye to Chief Firefighter Jeff Pierce when the Lady of the Lake made a “flag stop” in Lucerne. The current fire danger is now low enough for Jeff to take a much-needed break. If you know Jeff at all, you know he lives and breathes fire. His entire Holden career has been in preparation for an event he hoped would never happen.

Jeff talks about fire, he teaches about fire, and he works hard on fire safety every single day he is in Holden. Ironically, Jeff was out of the Village when the Wolverine Creek Fire came roaring out of its lair on the ridge in late July. But Jeff was dropped back into the Village in a matter of days to handle the coordination of the Rain Birds, the hoses, and the sprinklers necessary to make Holden defensible. Frederick Buechner said, “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” Surely, God has called Jeff to this place and time.

The fire has moved south, deep into the Entiat. Temperatures in the Village have been cooling with light sprinkles on and off for four days in a row. With only seven people in residence, the Village is peaceful and quiet, and the valley almost feels and sounds like it is heaving a big sigh of relief. Maybe it is actually the sound of the entire Holden community sighing in relief.

As we begin to take stock of the Village and continue counting our blessings, let us count Jeff as one of them. He has been preparing us for this fire for years, never letting us become complacent. We are thankful for many things in these post fire days, especially Jeff.

With good courage, Peg + Chuck

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