This is a time for giving thanks. Today I want to give thanks for being able to spend time enjoying my family, pets and home. Yesterday I was not sure if all that was possible.  Yesterday I was awakened at 0230 in the morning to the smell of smoke and someone knocking at my door. I looked out my window to see smoke and flames just behind my backyard. There was no power. My husband and I had 5 minutes to get dressed and get out. We tried to get our cats, but we could not catch them. So we reluctantly had to leave them behind. The police said to get out now! After leaving with just the clothes on our back and purse and wallet, we drove to the evacuation center. We waited there wondering if our pets were still alive and if we had a house to come home to. Finally, in the afternoon we were able to walk back to our house to see what happened. We couldn't believe it! Our house was still standing and our pets were alive. Others were not so fortunate. Thanks to the hard work of the fire department, police and others, we were able to return to our house and suffered minimal damage. We would like to thank all the people who helped us and showed their concern for our well-being. This Thanksgiving we can truly give thanks!

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