“…I’m going to miss you…” -Jim Svejda. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭. You have no idea, dude.

Some KUSC news here, courtesy of our chief engineer—and probably the kindest man in all of public radio—Ron Thompson.

Finally: the #EatonFire ignited 2mi from our Pasadena home. My wife, 6-month old daughter, and I evacuated Tues night per the warnings. Our home still stands. We’re in OC safely while things calm down & air quality improves. We are lucky. Thank you for your care and compassion.

9. There’s no Right Way to help a fire victim heal. These are some things that have worked for me and others in my life over the years. I’d love to know what has worked for you.

8. Listen. Let them say whatever they want/need to say. It might be wrong, it might be hurtful, it might be strange. Just listen.

7. Be sad. It is sad. Being sad helps us heal. It will never not be sad. Sadness is healing.

6. Eschew optimism. Yes, it will get better, but it will never be the same. Saying, “at least we have each other” or “memories can’t burn” are some of the worst things. “Well, you did want a new fridge anyway, now insurance is gonna buy it for you,” is the actual worst.

5. Hugs.

4. For those who lost everything, insurance bureaucracy is a bitch. Ask if you can help with paperwork, some of which includes listing everything they used to own and its approximate value. Obviously, this can be quite traumatic. Offer to start a list yourself. Go room by room.

3. For those who didn’t lose everything, everything they own now reeks of smoke and is filthy. If you have capacity and if it is safe, offer to come help clean. Wear an N95 mask when you do so.

2. Those who lost everything will need stuff, but don’t try to guess what they need, just ask. A care package with toiletries etc is likely unhelpful—all of that is either in their go-bag or already been donated. A truckload of 2ndhand clothes/furniture is super tone deaf.

1. Someone to cry with. Nothing like the feeling of trying to grab everything, leaving, and then not knowing if you’ll be coming back to anything. That’s trauma no matter the outcome. When you check in on people, if you cry first it can help them cry and they probably need to.

Having been through this multiple times with family and friends who both lost everything in a fire and those who did not…a few thoughts about what they/we need at this time:.

The first violinist of the Juilliard Quartet, Robert Mann, later recalled, “There was a silent pause after we finished, a quite wonderful moment, and the President said, 'you know, this is the kind of music that brings tears to the eyes.’”

Carter invited them back to the WH for a proper concert and asked if they might play something once all the guests had departed. The quartet agreed and performed the slow movement of Haydn’s SQ Op. 20, No. 1 for an audience of three: Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter and Robert Shaw.

After one reception where the Juilliard Quartet had been performing background music, President Carter approached them and apologized for the fact that people were talking during their performance.

It was this relationship which prompted Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter to enlist Robert Shaw to organize all of the music for his inauguration festivities. Shaw booked some of the most famous American chamber music groups for the events, including the Juilliard and Cleveland Quartets.

“He's a bona fide consumer, “Shaw said. “His interest isn't political. In Atlanta, during his days as governor, I'd bring the orchestra up. at his request to play for state dinners. But he'd also come to our regular concerts all the time--and he'd stand in line and buy tickets.”.

As he rose through the ranks of Georgia politics, eventually becoming governor of the state, Carter’s love of classical music deepened. He became friends with the music director of the Atlanta Symphony, Robert Shaw.

Carter: “She encouraged all of her students to seek cultural knowledge beyond the requirements of a normal rural classroom. As a school boy who lived in an isolated farm community, my exposure to classical literature, art, and music was insured by this superlative teacher.”.

President Carter traced his love of classical music back to a teacher in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, Miss Julia Coleman, who introduced him and his classmates to many different aspects of the arts.