My family and I evacuated our home this evening due to a large fire in our community. We determined what was important in about five seconds. We left before the evacuations became mandatory, and thankfully so. With only two exits out of our Austin neighborhood, containing thousands of homes, others have been waiting to leave for over an hour, even running out of gas as they wait.

While the thought of losing my home and belongings is tough, everything that’s really important is with us currently. I can’t shake thoughts for our firefighters. With currently five fires blazing across more than 14,000 acres in Central Texas – three of them requiring mandatory evacuations – responders are stretched to the maximum. No doubt they are exhausted.

In all of the craziness today, I have reflected on all of our blessings; they are many. Tonight, think of us, the thousands of families facing fire devastation or difficult situations otherwise, and the men and women who work – even on this Labor Day weekend – to keep complete strangers safe.

Stay safe, Friends. Stay safe.