#tostrong

[superbloomings]

#TOStrong

On November 8, 2018, while other fires raged across California, and my community was reeling from a mass shooting the day before, a new threat loomed that would leave us all unable to properly mourn the loss of a friend and process all the casualties suffered at Borderline.  

As we gathered at the vigil for the lives wasted in gunfire, we were unaware that in mere hours we'd have to gather our strength yet again and switch gears, some of us awakening in the middle of the night with minutes to pack our treasures and evacuate.  

The Woolsey fire was coming.

Over 96,000 acres, spanning two counties, ignited with 295,000 people under mandatory evacuation. Over 1600 structures burned displacing people, farm animals, pets large and small, wildlife, and killing three people. Embers flew on gusts upwards of 60 miles an hour, jumping a freeway, racing through rugged terrain, up mountains, and down canyons of dried Chaparral and Scrub Brush— miles of ripe kindling which cannot ever be cleared or the mountains come down in deadly mudslides during the rainy season.

This is my community's natural disaster. Some have tornadoes, ice storms, floods, volcanoes, or hurricanes. We have fires followed by mudslides as our yearly natural disaster throughout our large state. This was the third experience to directly impact my family, so about once every ten years. "Why don't you move?" I hear some people say from afar. Then there was the online hate directed at this community I love. Name me a perfect place without natural disasters. There are none.

The wind changed direction, forcing us to evacuate in the middle of the night as we scrambled to pack our trunk. In the space of minutes, what would you grab? A tote of important documents I created for such emergencies: passports, social security cards, birth certificates, etc. Then wedding albums and framed pictures of my children when they were babies. The rest of my hatchback was stuffed with my kid’s lovies: ones they’d carefully chosen knowing we couldn’t save every stuffed animal. Then our pillows and sleeping bags for the evac-center cots, if any were available. Everything else: clothes, books, toys, toiletries, dishes etc. are replaceable and of little importance in a split second emergency. 

We piled our two kids, two cats, and a big dog into our small hatchback and drove off into the night uncertain of when we could return.  

In the middle of all this I called my sister who hadn't heard the evacuation warnings that the fire was upon her doorstep. She had just gone to bed. "Where are you?!" I said. "Home." All I remember was crying for her to leave immediately. "Get out now! Go!! Go!!" She drove by towering flames as structures around her turned to ash.

We were the lucky ones. We still had homes to come back to. Our biggest concern was poor air quality for weeks ahead; wearing our N95 masks and sadly knowing you’re smelling and breathing the ashes of other people’s loss. I can say with 100% certainty that our firemen and women are the nation's best; they get a lot of practice and work tirelessly for weeks, with little rest, putting their lives at risk. 

Thank you CalFire.  

Our community is strong and we pulled together to support those in need, even as our president leveled the blame at "poor forest management" despite there being no forest here, and as I’ve said many times there is no budget large enough to clear the very difficult and vast terrain, nor should that be a thought lest the mountains will bury you in your sleep from a lack of roots to hold the dirt in place. 

The following images show the burn scar rebirth where the Woolsey fire stormed right into the heart of Thousand Oaks, Ca, across from our Civic Center's vigil for the victims of the Borderline shooting, in which we mourned the loss of our friend and others; young souls gone way too soon. These photos are consistent with the first image heading this post. The rebirth happened in 4 months time with our heavy rains. With all this horror it is a reminder of brighter days ahead, positive thinking, and to try to look for the good. There is always good to be found.

It is very hard to tell, but this maybe the skeleton of a Laurel Sumac.

A charred black Coast Live Oak tree that easily existed before WWI. I estimate it is near 18 meters tall and 26 meters wide after standing next to it. These are very slow growing which makes this specimen quite old. 

The Civic Center is the large tan building to the left. Down from this hill is where the home from the first picture was located.

All these mountains burned, as you can see, some are still quite black on various peaks. They are apart of the Santa Monica Mountain range and descend into Malibu, which was tragically hit so hard by the Woolsey fire.

Chaparral over grows. It dries, it dies, it builds up and chokes out the beauty, but beauty lies in wait for the fire that burns out invasive species, parasitic vines, and choking poison oak. And with this fire that nurtures the soil, after such darkness and despair, a change in season.

Now these patient seeds take root, grow strong, and bloom in all their beautiful glory, witnessed by all. This cycle goes on. I use it as a metaphor for our own pain within us and trials I experience; that I can burn them out and reveal inner beauty once again. This mantra is found in the rebirth and the reason I document it. It's my meditation and it helps me cope and to know it will all be OK.

[thelaughingfreckle]

Thousand Oaks

I don’t even know what to say. This is my home. Yesterday was a nightmare, spending my entire day refreshing the victims list trying, desperately to see if anyone I knew would show up. Texting my students making sure they were safe. Taking calls from my family, ensuring them that I was ok.

Last night I spent my evening celebrating my boyfriend’s birthday and packing a go bag for the fire. Watching from 9-11PM as the flames licked the hill just a few miles away. I was up from 2-4AM as I found out that my parents had to evacuate from their home. That my students all had to evacuate their homes. That all of my local friends evacuated. My parents may have lost their home. The fire is 0% contained. The families of the victims are still mourning. There’s not really a point to this post, nor is it even remotely funny. But I have been up for 2 hours just watching the live feed of the fire envelop my town and I don’t know what to do with myself.

I’ve never asked this before, but please, please send your thoughts, prayers, good vibes, whatever you believe in to my town. Please send funny stories. Please help distract myself from this absolute fucking nightmare. 

[agreatcapture]

[thesmaku]

Peace out at Humber Bay Park with what remained of the TOStrong driftwood sign. Have a wonderful Wednesday everybody! . Nikon Z 7 with 14-24mm f/2.8 at 15mm, f/14, 1/125sec., ISO64 . #torontosunriseseriesbytaku #nikon_canada #nikonnofilter #gitzoinspires #torontostrong #tostrong #torontotogether #etobicoke #humberbay #humberbaypark #torontodriftwoodsign #seetorontonow #goodmorning #peaceful #serenity #natureinthecity #tdot_shots # (Toronto, Ontario) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAsaZ92AWeb/?igshid=1d6jgwonoo7bf

[harveycast]

BOTH are on the #Bellator card!👊🏼 #Repost @ryan_thelion_lilley ・・・ 10 day’s out till @ianbutlermma and myself are back in the cage @theforum @bellatormma #214. Every time we fight on the same card we get first round finishes. Sold All My Tickets Trying To Get More Tomorrow. The Lion Is Hungry can’t wait to show what we have been working on. #Bellator214 #RyanTheLionLilley #TOStrong #805 #TeamLilley #LionKing #TheForum . . . #mma #kickboxing #wrestling #jiujitsu #fit #training #tattoo #ink #fitness #goals #sponsored #athlete #lion #king #lfa #bellator #LA #champ #scorpio #family #california #fuckcancer (at Soboba Sports Complex) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsvjWHdHOGR/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=12ul25utudafu

[karenbetancourt-re]

Please join us tonight from 6-8pm at the Hyatt Regency Westlake for a special tribute to all of the heroes and first responders. Special guests Kirk Cameron, Rob McCoy, Pastor Larry DeWitt, special musical tributes including the song written for the Borderline family called “Our Home” sung by Paige Peele #Borderlinestrong #TOstrong #BorderLives (at Hyatt Regency Westlake) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqVj0hqgwPK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=72fabh1vown7

[heatherhartphoto]

I am here to hand out hugs! What a crazy week Los Angeles. I pray that sweetness will be abundant for this upcoming holiday season!. Only hugs and love!! Call today and I will meet you anywhere! #alamodephoto #freehugs #woolseyfire #805strong #tostrong #familyphotographer #losangeles (at A La Mode Photo - Pregnancy, Baby, Family, Wedding, and Event Photography) https://www.instagram.com/p/BqMISiEBFMa/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=az6regn77jw0

[craftbeerrepublicpod]

Hi Tap Heads, it's been a few days since we've posted anything on social media. As you may have seen from our last post, there was a terrible tragedy just down the street from us. Before we could finish hitting send on the post about the Borderline massacre, the community was focusing our attention on two fires that were heading our way. To be honest, it felt weird making a happy post promoting the show or sharing a beer. The silence seemed appropriate. I, along with all the friends and family I know that were affected by the fires, are finally allowed back in our homes. Things are starting to get under control. In the coming days, please consider donating to an organization like the Red Cross that is doing great work to help the people who were forced out of their home. Many people in Northern California have been even less lucky than those of us in Southern California. It's been an emotional week, but the community is stronger than ever and we will rebuild. We will stick together. And we will get back to drinking great beer together. Thank you to all the first responders, everyone that I have interacted with has been from another county or jurisdiction, the support and turnout have been amazing. I truly hope everyone and their family is safe and well, and hopefully, we all have something to be thankful for in the coming weeks. -Greg . . . #BorderlineBarShooting #BorderlineShooting #Borderline #WoolseyFire #HillFire #PeakFire #LynnFire #TOStrong #ThousandOaks #805 #RedCross https://www.instagram.com/p/BqINUO8AL_U/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=pph7kove6shg

[jeffurrea]

Big thanks to all the comics who drove through crazy traffic to perform on @comedychow @vhcomedyclub 🙌 ♥️ @hollemanjokes @darrinchase @nick_kekeris @punkiejohnson @miafuckingmars @amberbrashear #vcstrong #comedians #standupcomedy #TOstrong #comedians #baby #showmustgoon (at Ventura Harbor Comedy Club) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp-PVebg-ZV/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1wgqtz6koynzv

[mizmeliz]

Stay strong dear friends. #TOStrong (at Thousand Oaks, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp-ChpSAJ63/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=7iwusrdip8iq

[exelmusic]

Al fin puedo publicar una foto 😢 #puertoricoselevanta🇵🇷 Vamos para encima mi isla que los mas grandes son los que se levantan antes la mayor adversidad... #tostrong #boricuas #laisladelencanto #PuertoRico

[mariorealista]

#tostrong #positivethinking #positiveenergy .... learn my story ...

[unframed-art-gallery]

un_framed.nl

#graffiti

#traingraffit1

#paintedtrains

#graffitiart

#graffiticollector

#art

#artcollector

#germany

#tostrong

#dortmund

#ruhrgebiet

#köln

#montanacans

#unframedartgallery

#streetart

#streetarteverywhere

#streetartgallery

#millionaire

#nft

#hiphop

#culture

#deutschland

#deurne

#amsterdam

#brussels

#tag

#painting

[52bywu]

Fun photo walk this morning. Time to get back to work . . . #Toronto #tostrong #torontodriftwoodart #torontodriftwood #julieryan #torontostrong #driftwood #driftwoodart #torontobeachart #tobeachart #etobicoke #discoverontario #art #igerstoronto #igerscanada #canada #waterfront #towaterfront #blogto #torontoskyline #skyline https://ift.tt/2QQqZN9

[thesmaku]

It’s getting cold again so this might come in handy. I thought I’d do something a little different as I #stayhome and started hand-drawing one of my photos as a colouring page! . My first attempt became so intricate that it’s probably best to use coloured pencils (second image is my first attempt). . For my second attempt (first image), I made two versions so that in case your child or anyone else might be interested in joining you for a colouring afternoon, then you can both colour the same photo but with varying degree of details. . You can download the printable PDFs on my website at https://www.smaku.com or the link in bio. Just print it on a letter-sized paper and colour! . Let me know if you think I should do more, if I should just stick to photography, or if you have any tips on improving any future pages. . Swipe left to see the full colouring pages . #imadethis #colouringforadults #colouringbook #coloringpages #stayhomestaysafe #torontostrong #tostrong #strongertogether #drawing #torontoartist @bttoronto #seetorontonow @seetorontonow @ontariotravel @explorecanada #explorecanada #canadianartist #canadiancreatives #blogto #curiocitytoronto (Toronto, Ontario) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_xNF5QghQU/?igshid=ikfmb0oh4g6c

[numbersbythebook]

9/11 to Polonium 210

written by Will Schumaker

I have often thought of the Polonium 210 event on 11/23/06 and 9/11 as pictures of the same event. The high towers of 9/11 are man’s pride and sin that will be destroyed at Christ’s return.

Polonium 210 is the resulting decay of Uranium, named after Uranus meaning “heaven”. Sin is the cause of our decay.  I theorize that Pol 210 is a picture of the toxicity of sin apart from redemption through Christ. Those stained with Polonium 210/sin will be destroyed at Christ’s return just like the high towers.

The day count from 9/11 to 11/23/06, the Pol 210 death event is 1899 days.

This is the only use of Strong’s H1899 = ”woe” in the Bible:

Ezekiel 2:10 And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.

It is chapter 2 verse 10, so a 2:10 or “210” matching polonium 210. The in text gematria total toStrong’s  H1899 is 2733 = 3 x 911.  So it seems a double confirmation.

The message of the verse and the surrounding context is spot on.  Ezekiel is given a message “written within and without”, meaning fullness and completion, to tell the rebellious people.  It is a trumpet call of repentance that God in His mercy shouts to us.

It is sweet as honey because God’s word and His ways are sweet as honey.

Psalm 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

It is a lamentation, mourning and woe because the failure to listen and obey carries dire consequences.

This same message is found in Revelation 10:

Revelation 10:8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.        

Revelation 10:9 And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.    

Revelation 10:10 And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.          

Revelation 10:11 And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

This is the same message of lamentation, mourning and woe in Ezekiel.  John’s belly becoming bitter should cause the reader to remember the curse that overcomes the adulterous wife in Numbers 5.  God is calling for repentance.

Numbers 5:27 And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it shall come to pass, that, if she be defiled, and have done trespass against her husband, that the water that causeth the curse shall enter into her, and become bitter, and her belly shall swell, and her thigh shall rot: and the woman shall be a curse among her people.

Further this “mighty angel” is described as God-like:

Revelation 10:1 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

Recall the connection from my prior post about the day count from the Polonium 210 event to 3/11/2011 Japan (quake + tsunami) produced this verse containing Strong’s H210 = Uphaz:

Daniel 10:5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:

More than likely this is Christ, and later in Daniel we read about this Christ-like man clothed in linen upon the waters of the river lifting his hands to heaven declaring after a times, time and a half all will be done.

Daniel 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished

Now...

The “God-like” angel of Revelation 10 stands upon the sea and the earth and lifts his right hand to Heaven and says all shall be finished at the sound of the seventh trumpet.

Revelation 10:5 And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,

Revelation 10:6 And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:              

Revelation 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

Recall Strong’s H1899 = ”woe”

The seventh trumpet sounded is the final woe:

Revelation 11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.  

Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

I hope you can see the connection.  God connected three significant days to sound a trumpet to anyone caring to hear. The day counts between 9/11 and Polonium 210 produced a verse that matches Biblically to the verse that is tied to the day counts from Polonium 210 to 3/11.

The message is repent before it is too late because too late is coming soon.   And I can’t stress enough the importance of the symbolism of fine gold.  Fine gold is God’s wisdom and His ways, His life giving water. It should be our greatest desire.