Scattered fires still smolder in the mountains. Since fire still exists, some very small risk also still exists. But the firefighting team has told us that it is "extremely unlikely" that we will have to evacuate.
A fire tsunami was headed directly at Diamond Mountain, having devoured 210,000 acres and traveled 30 miles to get here. Conventionally, the only thing standing between us and the fire were the firefighters. They built a final containment line in rugged canyons 2 miles east. This was not the easiest or safest place to fight a fire. They chose it in order to protect us. They have shown us great kindness. They are our guardian angels. They've put their lives at risk to save Diamond Mountain.
We thank Trent and Dan and unnamed others who we met at Emigrant and Marble canyons, as well as Jim Thomas, Scott Cook, Bill Edwards, Guy Pence, Mark Winkelman, Ron Kaczor, Dan Buckley, Mark Koontz, Russell Boyington, and 1400 others whose names we do not know, as well as State Representative Peggy Judd from Willcox. The valiance and professionalism of the firefighting corps will never be forgotten -- especially at night, covered from hair to foot with black ash, a mountain on fire blazing behind them.
We thank Sharon and Mody from Bowie as well as Johnny O, Nicole Davis, Floss Barber, Ven. Phil, Sierra Shaffer and Dennis Moore for opening their homes as evacuation destinations.
We also bow down to Mark Tripetti and the PR team, Christina Garza, Judith Ring, Jennie Meyer, Ven Jigme Palmo, Laurie Post, Rick Blue, Jim Dey, Beth and Tim Muehlhausen, Shel Strickland, Christina Kasica, Chelsey Bailey, Ora Maimes, and Geshe Michael Roach who wrote the first draft and launched the whole PR effort. An article in The New York Times amazes us! This publicity will result in great benefit for Diamond Mountain. No doubt they accomplished everything that Geshe Michael intended.
We extend deep appreciation to the cadre of volunteers who stepped forward here at DM,
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Photo taken by Scott Vacek just four miles
from Diamond Mountain |
protecting structures and standing ready to help with evacuation: Chuck Vedova, Joe Perrizo, Heather Driscoll, Matt Gallup, Ven Chandra, Tianna Lewis, Sierra Shaffer, Graham Butler, Orit Vacek, as well as Chaz Gross, Donna Peterson, and Barby and Chuck Goldschmid who went that extra mile to support us from Tucson.
We thank Lama Christie for Her advice, given in the middle of deep retreat, a time normally without communication. We thank Geshe Michael for His on-going advice and for engaging and inspiring the entire worldwide community in a karmic effort to create the real causes for stopping the fire on our doorstep.
And we thank that same community for creating the causes through their payers and offerings and concerns.
With much love to you all
