The Chilcotin Mountains are known for their dramatic beauty and vitality. The back country roads offer up some of the most astounding scenery in Canada. So recently, I was taken aback by a shock of land that had been decimated by a forest fire. Fire is not unique in these forests, it’s expected. For me though, the surprise lay in the vivid contrast of colours in this renewing tract of forest.

I stood at the side of the road, stunned by the charred soil and the remaining trees that were so forlornly blackened. But, up from this dead blackness rose patches of brilliant green grass, dots of creamy white lupines, and clutches of yellow salmonberries. Life juxtaposed against deadness.

We all know that forest fires are part of Nature’s cycle of re-birth. From the devastation comes valuable minerals and elements that, when added to the soil, allow the vegetation of the forest floor to thrive. Ecosystems become stronger and healthier as a result.

Like this burned tract of forest, I too have endured major “fires” within my life. From my own devastation, I have grown new skills, new tools, new beliefs. The lessons that I have learned have added to my life and have helped me to move through the fire to become a healthier, stronger, more colourful person.

As I drove away from this scarred land, I was delighted and excited by the possibility of new life bursting out from all of that black char. While I can’t ignore the areas in my life that have been burned, I don’t feel the need to focus on them. The fire has run its course and I have learned how to prevent it from getting out of control.

And I know eventually that colour, that life, will win.