Heather's Colorado Springs' Fire Story
of actual proof and protection
through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
We are Heather's "Buddha Moms" and this was taken on Mother's Day at the Chicago SGI Center just before Heather moved to Colorado Springs.
Heather has been a dear friend and YWD (Young Women's Division member) in my district for over two years. She was brought up as a traditional Buddhist to believe that personal desires are bad, and desires are the cause of all suffering.
So, all the times that I urged her to chant for what she wanted, she just could not. She also did not want to commit to chanting every morning and evening, saying, "I don't do anything twice a day!" and seeing a consistent practice as a sign of giving in to something. Those of us who chant every morning and evening know there is a real difference between chanting twice a day and chanting occasionally. Life flows more easily, insights come more quickly and it is easier to defeat our own negativity and make things happen with a twice a day practice. Your inner power emerges.
Last November, after a trying year of facing several painful events, Heather decided to give every morning and every evening chanting a try, and immediately told me she could feel the difference. She said she would never have believed it if she hadn't seen for herself. So she continued to do it.
One day soon after, in front of my Gohonzon chanting with me, she chanted for her first desire, and tears fell down her cheeks. I told her "every tear cried in front of the Gohonzon is a diamond in your life." And she began sincerely chanting for her desires.
Her first real desire was to move to Colorado. She accomplished this right after Mother's Day. I told her the members there must be chanting for her to come! On Mother's Day, Danny Nagashima told us that a new SGI Center had been opened in Colorado Springs just the day before. She was totally in rhythm.
She moved in with a friend in a great house in Black Forest by Colorado Springs and was loving every minute. She has a beautiful sunny bedroom and a great situation for her and her faithful dog Bowser. She loves her roommates and talks to them about her "prayer box" (Butsudan) and practice.
She's found friendships in the Colorado Springs SGI already. When she walked into the SGI center she told them she had just moved from Chicago they said "We've been chanting for you!" and welcomed her with open arms.
Two weeks ago Heather came back to Chicago for a wedding. Before she left Colorado she locked her room with her Gohonzon and Butsudan in it. She moved her Gohonzon to a fire-proof safe, and hid a key in the front yard "just in case."
As many of you may know, Colorado Springs just had the biggest wildfire in Colorado's history. The flames reached over 300 feet. Heather was already here when it broke out.
The fire began mid-day and when her roommate headed home she was stopped at a barricade and told she couldn't go back to the house to get her dog or belongings. Heather's roommate was determined to save her dog and Heather's "Prayer Box" and she went around the barricade and raced to the house. When she got there she found Heather's bedroom door locked and called Heather who told her where she'd hidden the key. Her roommate safely rescued the dogs, the Butsudan and the Gohonzon!
For many days, no one knew if the house was still standing, and we were all chanting.
On Tuesday, Heather learned that her entire block and all around it was burned...except...you guessed it...her house. Her roommate said it looked like there was a "bubble around the house" because everything else was burned.
Heather says now she is going to return and everyone in her house is going to start chanting because of her amazing actual proof!
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