A few days ago I received an email from Aimee Cross, a friend and fellow genealogist (The Family History Guide has quite a few links to videos on her popular YouTube channel). Aimee lives in my home town—Camarillo, California—and part of that city had been devastated by the recent Mountain Fire, which burned over 50,000 acres and destroyed over 100 homes.

I had been wondering about her and if she and her home and family were okay. I was just about to reach out to her when I got her email. She had been out of town at the time of the fire, and fortunately her home was not affected. My childhood home is less than a mile away from the extent of the fire, and I found out that five families in the Latter-day Saint ward of my youth were lost, although there were no injuries. The firefighters and emergency personnel did an amazing job considering the steep terrain of the hills and gale-force Santa Ana winds.

Aimee shared a poignant video of the fire-affected area, along with reminders that family memories such as photos and documents need to be backed up digitally, as disasters can occur swiftly and without warning.

As we prepare for Thanksgiving in the United States this coming Thursday, what’s truly important to us? I think most of us would answer that family, including our ancestors and their memories, would certainly be prominent on that list. Let’s all take some time at this wonderful holiday season and reflect on our blessings and the service and sacrifice our ancestors made for us.

Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for your support of The Family History Guide!