Tis Something; Nothing.

Shakespeare gives one of his most beautiful and insightful speeches to one of his most despicable villains.

In Act 3 of Othello, Iago replies to some slander (that happens to be true):

"He who steals my purse steals trash. 'Tis something; Nothing. 'Twas mine; 'Tis his, and has been slave to thousands. But he who filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him, and makes me poor indeed."

Over the last few days, Kedra and I have learned just how correct Iago was. There are so many things that are much more important that earthly goods. We have probably lost all, or nearly all, of our temporal possessions, and yet we feel incredibly blessed. I have been overwhelmed at the breadth and depth of the love and aid that we have received. We have had phone calls and emails and offers of aid from near and far. Literally dozens of people have offered to let us stay with them; people have opened their hearts and their closets and their wallets. I know that there are still plenty of difficulties and expenses coming up in our near future, but so far feelings of gratitude have been far more plentiful and powerful than any others.

We are so grateful that all 3 of us were able to get out of the apartment safely, without any danger or difficulty. We feel very literally watched over. What we lost truly feels like nothing compared with what we still have.

On a less philosophical level, to give a quick update - the fire was Tuesday night. Since Wednesday evening, we have been staying with Kedra's grandfather, Don Wheeler. The apartment was burned so badly that we haven't yet been able to go back in to try to retrieve anything, so we don't know how much will be salvageable, although we think it probably won't be very much - hopefully some clothes and some pots and pans.

Kedra's cousin Melanie and her husband Josh have graciously offered their condo to us for the next little while, while they try to sell it, and so we are planning to stay there as we work on figuring out a place of our own.

Thanks so much to everyone who has helped us out - from the Union Park 1st ward that we just moved into to my coworkers and Lingotek to the many, many friends and family who have done so much already. We feel incomparably blessed.