Earlier this week, a house up the hill from the Kid's Cafe caught fire. Thanks to the high winds, the proximity to the neighbors and the highly combustible building materials, the fire rapidly spread to neighboring houses. In the space of about 10 minutes, four families were left homeless and what little they owned was but smoke and ash. I was astonished at how fast the fire spread. A water truck stopped and discharged its entire load to try to control the fire until the fire trucks arrived. Neighbors ran into the houses to make certain no one was inside. Others ran in to carry out the propane tanks used for cooking so they wouldn't explode when the fire reached them. As the fire continued to spread, the neighbors realized that their house was going to burn next. They ran in to carry out what they could before the flames reached their door. I felt despair as I watched these events unfold, knowing that there was nothing to do but pray that the fire wouldn't spread to more homes.

While the homes were burning, the women cried and were comforted by their more fortunate neighbors. All the while, the neighborhood children squealed with excitement as the flames grew and the fire trucks arrived. It seemed to take a while but the fire was brought under control. As the bomberos (firemen) were packing up their equipment, I surveyed the smoldering remains of the four homes and reflected on the transient nature of life and especially the things with which we surround ourselves. Within hours, the victim's neighbors, who have so little themselves, were walking around the neighborhood collecting money to give to the fire victims to start over again. I later learned that two homeowners were at work and didn't even know that they had lost their homes until they crested the hill and saw the ruins.

Later in the day, driving by the site of the fire, I was amazed to see the same families that had been crying earlier getting to work clearing the charred wood. This is what I have observed in Mexico; this way of resigning oneself to your circumstance and then moving forward with life. This might be the most powerful impression that I have of Mexico. Regardless of almost any misfortune, Mexicans seem to be able to move on without being stuck in feeling sorry for themselves. I think about words like indomitable and intrepid and I think about Mexicans. Aside from their hospitality, the Mexican's ability to move forward through tragedy is probably what endears me most to these people.