Pictures of the Heart
In 15 seconds, it was all destroyed! For the first time I knew firsthand what it meant to lose everything. We had a nice home filled with collectibles that had dollar value as well as sentimental value, and of course antiques, those delightful treasures which one works so hard to obtain. On January 17, 1994, when an earthquake registering 7.5 on the Richter scale hit our home, I began to examine what was truly important to me. What a devastating surprise it was to see all my years of hard work in broken heaps throughout the house. It was impossible to keep back the tears of shock and disbelief. But I clung to my testimony of the gospel for strength. I realized that it had far greater value than my antiques, and it could never be taken away.
With the light of day came a renewed desire to serve. As Relief Society president of the Northridge, California First Ward, I felt a great deal of responsibility for the well-being of the members. We had received reports from a fireman concerning the more heavily damaged areas, and my concern grew for several young families from our ward who lived in one of these areas. Realizing that I must search them out, I put on my walking shoes and started up the street. It wasn't long before I found them, with many other apartment dwellers, in a large parking lot, dressed in their nightclothes. George, Helen, and their two small boys were now homeless, and I invited them to stay in my home. When we arrived there, we found another young couple who lived in the apartments and had come seeking refuge. Within 30 minutes, others had also come for assistance.
We realized that our home was still unsafe, so we decided to set up a "tent city" in the front yard. Everyone in need could come and stay there. From my own family of four, we grew to a temporary family of 18--14 adults and four children. We took from our camping equipment a large eight-man tent and two smaller tents, made temporary toilet facilities, put the gas barbecue on the driveway to be used for cooking, and carried chairs from the back patio. We planned to use our food storage as a temporary means of food, until we realized that it was completed buried and we could not get to it. It would be several days before it was accessible. So we used the food in the freezer, which soon would be defrosted.
At the end of the first day, we gathered together in the quiet surroundings of our yard to thank Heavenly Father for protecting us. This became a nightly ritual for the rest of the week. As we gathered in family prayer at the end of each frustrating day, we thanked Heavenly Father for watching over us and asked him for strength to do the things that needed to be done. The feelings of love and unity we experienced will never be forgotten.
One of the children, an infant with serious medical problems who had been scheduled for surgery the day the earthquake hit, wore a colostomy bag and a urinary catheter. I experienced firsthand a young mother's love and willingness to tenderly care for her child while others patiently held flashlights so she could change the tubes. I witnessed another young mother's desperate search for a pharmacy that would give her antibiotics for her baby who was running a high temperature. It was very moving to watch how we pulled together in mutual love and support. I thought of what Christ would have done had he been there. Each one of us had acted as the Savior's hands as we helped to ease one another's burdens.
I was office manager of our nearby elementary school, and it was my responsibility to go to the school to assess the damage from the earthquake and to help parents there with whatever needs they had. While I was away from home helping others at the school, the friends living at my home took over until I was able to get back.
In the days that followed, we learned to survive with help from each other. We made arrangements for some to relocate, while others made plans to start over. Nine months later, everything was still not completely repaired. It would take many more months, and the memories of that frightful day would remain ever present in our minds. I am most grateful for a kind and loving Heavenly Father who watches over us constantly, and for friends who love and care for one another in a truly Christlike manner. I now would trade my earthly treasures anytime for the heavenly treasures of service given by true friends in times of need.
As I read my journal and recall how "in 15 seconds it was all gone," I realize what really matters in life. My scrapbook shows pictures and words that can be seen with the human eye; but the real pictures of the heart can never be seen, only felt in the center of the human heart as service is given and received.
--Doris Kilgrow, Relief Society president, Northridge First Ward
("By Small & Simple Things" by Michele Romney Garvin)
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