Note: There’s been a sudden increase in subscribers and readers since I posted the previous article about the fire that destroyed our neighborhood. I’d like to start by mentioning to the newcomers that new articles will still be coming in the future, but maybe not as often for the next few months. But, then, most of the articles here are as “fresh” as when they were first posted on the site, since it’s not a site that follows news, fashions, and trends. I’d recommend that now and then you might read an article, starting with the most recent articles in this Philosophy series, starting with #12, then 11, 10, 9, and so on… until your interest wanes (maybe about the time you get to the “Humor” article 🙂 ).Then just search through the table of contents to find something of interest. The most recent articles are listed on the right side of every page. (If you’re on a mobile device you might need to select “desktop site” from the 3 dots at the top right of the page, in order to see the list of recent posts.) Meanwhile, welcome to this website.
In the past two weeks Regina and I have been deeply moved by the kindness and generosity of hundreds of friends, family, readers, afterlife researchers, and strangers. (The friends definitely include you—Jason & Kim—and the crucial support you gave us in a particularly difficult time.)
Since the fire, we’ve gotten so much unexpected help from people that Regina and I feel like James Stewart and Donna Reed at the end of It’s a Wonderful Life… when they’d lost everything, then friends came to the rescue.
(The video clip is a bit of an exaggeration in our case, but we thought it was funny and moving, and it does reflect our feeling of being surrounded by friends and loved ones… and especially guys like “Clarence” and his boss, if you happen to have seen the movie. 🙂 )
Regina reminded me this morning that “detaching from material things”—a main theme of the previous article—is just half the mission of a life on Earth. The other half is “being present in the moment” and having gratitude for the moment. That’s become clear to me in the past two weeks.
So this is just a brief message to you all: We love and appreciate (and thank) you more than you know.
Mark & Regina
Macy Afterlife: The Beacon 
I hope your insurance company shows for you like the friends in It’s a Wonderful Life…and then some!
Thanks for this post.
Thanks John, I think we have good insurance, but it’ll probably pay only between half and 3/4 of the assessed value of house and possessions lost. That’s typical, I believe.
Mark and Regina: Kim and I love you dearly. It’s a bit crazy/unorthodox how we we met. Of course “orthodox” in our situation goes out the window. We share a bond. I appreciate your post more than you know. You have many friends and Kim and I are honored to be among them. Stay safe and remember your friends aren’t just nearby they’re omnipresent.
Thanks John and Jason,
You guys inspired my next short article. It’ll be about surprises (like disasters, hardships, suffering… and people’s kindness and generosity that can come to the surface in difficult times) and how we deal with all those surprises. (At least, how Regina and I are trying to deal with them.) It’s not easy, but it seems to be what this Earth experience is all about.
Mark
Dear Mark and Regina
When i read your initial post about the fire and losing your home I was so shocked I didn’t know what to say. I hesitated to say anything.
You seemed so accepting and already knew that materialism is only partially useful in our human forms. Still its a great shock even to the most stalwart person. You both have shown great courage and strength to get through this trauma and I applaud you both.
You know you are not alone and things will improve as time goes by.
I just hope the insurers pay out what is rightly due.
I send you much love, healing and prayers and thank you for the wonderful spiritual work you do.
Evelyn
Thanks Evelyn, nice hearing from you again. My calm view of our disaster was nice while it lasted. 🙂
That outlook–that the source is the only reality and worldly dramas are fleeting–is still the oxygen mask that keeps Regina and me trying to breathe good air in these somewhat noxious times, but the many dramas that have come up since the fire are impossible to ignore (and the fire with its debris is just one of them).
Insurance? “Promise little, deliver big” is a good rule to live by, but insurers and loan agencies, in a disaster of this scale, apparently have to turn that around in order to compete and survive. So that’s one struggle we’re facing in the coming months: trying to get a settlement that won’t set us back too far. That’s our plan today, anyway, after I get a few more hours of sleep: call our insurance adjuster to see if he can adjust things so that we don’t lose too much.
Our prevailing attitude? We still have that core of peace and trust inside, but (like most everyone else on Earth), there’s some struggling and scrambling on the outside.
I’m not going to let my articles get bogged down in that kind of drama, though, so it may be a while before my next post.
Talk soon….
Mark
PS, we talked to our insurance guy today, and it looks like they’re going to be very fair with us. And after doing some additional research this morning, it looks like if we don’t get back what our house is currently worth, it’s because we didn’t upgrade our insurance over the years as the house rose in value… as we made improvements to the property and the housing market grew more expensive.
I guess that’s one of those things homeowners need to be aware of…
Mark
Hi Mark, how you doing? I don’t see any new posts. I hope you all are ok.
Hi Tom, busy getting resettled.
It may be a few more weeks before I post the next article.
Mark
Thx for update
Thinking of you Mark and Regina…lots of love to you all,
Thanks Kate.
Love, Mark & Regina