Spring

Fires in the Bitterroot usually mean one thing... miserable summers.  Our smoke-filled summers make for some unpleasant memories of evacuations and an increase of hospitalizations due to smoke inhalation.  But perhaps the most devastating part of the Bitterroot fires is missing out on the beauty that God has surrounded us with.  As Bitterrooters I think we often forget that fire doesn't always bring misery and destruction.  It is April now and as I look around the valley I see tiny plumes of smoke and my senses are filled with the faint smell of burning fields.  These smoke plumes and smells comfort me and remind me that spring is coming.  It is just around the corner.  Soon the falls of Como and Skalkaho will be roaring once again, filling our precious river, streams, and lake to capacity.  The trees will be full and green again, mirroring the envy of those who do not have the privilege of living here. 
This time the fires do not signal danger or destruction, they signal the beginning of a glorius spring in our beautful corner of the world.