Small miracles.. amidst the devastation.. it is hard to comprehend but today I am.. beyond gobsmacked. Despite being in the middle of the Cobargo fires, right next to my best friend's house in Cobargo, my indestructible ute of 1982 vintage SURVIVED the flames.. it came through the inferno.

Small things to rejoice about.

Today we breathe.. after a day of light, intermittent, slow rain.. just perfect as anything harder would erode the soil given it is truly like a war zone out there, everything razed, blackened, charred, roasted and still smoking and on fire, as Andrew Constance our local MP who fought to save his own house in Malua Bay said, this is not a fire, it's like an atomic bomb! The air has been filled with choking ash, and gum leaves, death in the air literally and on fire, hot and hard to breathe.

Yesterday my cousin and his wife took their first "breather" since Christmas, and from active firefighting duties on watch 24/7 since Dec 31. He described himself as a "blackfella" unrecognizable due to his sooty, ashfilled demeanour. He has no mask, just cut off cotton durable trouser legs doused in water to shield him from the smoke. He's saved his neighbours houses mostly, with the equipment HE has, no not provided by govt or RFS, individual purchase. He has little. He is living in a shed on the cleared dirt patch waiting to save funds to finish his home, which will maybe come.. but at least wasn't here to see the flames arrive to the dirt patch door. He and Sue stood and watched as the big gum tree caught alight Jan 5th, split in two not metres from where he stood, fell and continued to burn as he watched. Before this he had watched the neighbour's house he saved NYE go up in flames. These are the stories of the people I grew up with. This is the cousin who lived down the road on his parent's dairy farm when I was a baby up the road at Tanta, on my grandparents and great grandparents dairy farm. This is the man who didn't want to take money for himself but wanted to give the money that I will share from this fundraiser to his friend in Bemboka (a town where one of my high school best friend's grew up) who bought a half built house, scrimped and saved and almost got it built, and then.. just 3 days ago lost it all in the Werri Berri 15,000+ hectare out of control fire.. just 20 mins drive from my cousins place which is also 20 mins drive from my parent's place in Bega.

And so.. for those of you who wonder where your money donated to this fund goes.. It's going HERE. Just to the people I know.. the people I trust..

My cousin will get $200 to go toward either a fireproof suit for him or a firefighting mask for him and hopefully more money will come in to suit up his wife. $425 will go to my friend Denise. She will either buy food, and clothes as she only got out with the clothes on her back or .. I am unsure. I am not reducing the donation and as part of my ongoing donation will personally take on the cost of online site fees/banking and admin fees so as ALL MONIES go to where it is needed.

Please continue to pray.

FYI I am setting up another pan-religious 3 minute global prayer for Thursday Jan 9 at midnight Eastern Australia time (Bega), 5am Vancouver, Portland, Seattle and Sacramento time, 7 am Minneapolis time and 9pm Malaysia/Singapore time. I will post the prayer itself here.

Temps are expected to spike up to 40C on Friday again so.. please join as my ute is PROOF THAT MIRACLES DO REALLY HAPPEN.

PLEASE COMMENT BELOW.

Oh PS my sister is cooking up jam and my cuz and his wife are loving it. They spent almost 1.5 hours sitting, eating and being civilized and showered for the first time in 2 weeks yesterday. My mother is ok. Suffering a bit from smoke inhalation caused by the air con to ease extreme heat wave conditions at her care home. My sister in Morwell is ok as is her family. My uncle in Bairnsdale ok and my other cousins and aunts/uncles currently alive. Temporary reprieve. Thank you to all who care, send love, send prayers, sent thoughts and do rain dances, any donations gratefully accepted and comments and prayers gratefully received. Amen, Namaste, Om Shanti Shanti!