There is an old French proverb that says; The things we lose in the fire we will find in the ashes. What does that mean?

Fires are very destructive and deadly, the heat and the flames of a fire are often so intense that very little ever survives it's destructive power. The only thing that it usually leaves behind in it's wake are smoldering ashes. 

Right now, it's feels like our dreams and the whole world are on fire, and have been set ablaze, and we have been caught right in the middle, all we can do is watch helplessly as it burns hopelessly out of control.

Fire burns and consumes everything in it's path, nothing is spared and no one seems to be able to put it out, everything that it touches is reduced to ashes, cinder and rubble.

In order to better understand the true nature and the power of a fire,  we need to take a look at what happens during and after a literal forest fire. What happens, after the smoke has cleared and the flames have died?

When a fire burns through a forest it consumes everything in it's path, trees, plants, animals, it spares nothing. But as devastating and as destructive as a fire can be, something amazing begins to happen only a few days, a few  weeks and a few months after the fire.

Grasses,  plants and trees, starts to regrow. Pine trees cones seeds that were caught in the fire, burst open because of the heat and the flames and they begin to sprout and the forest starts to recover.

The fire was actually a catalyst and a trigger that help to stimulate new growth. Buds from plants and trees are triggered back. The trees that were charred and scorched by the fire begins to bounce back to life even while they are still smoldering.

The fire actually jumped started the rebuilding process and the ashes that were left behind contains the building blocks that the plants and trees need to grow. The ashes contains the vital nutrients that are essential for plant growth and they provide nourishment for trees.

When plants and trees are burned in a fire, their ashes are returned to the ground where they are reused. The ashes becomes fertilizer that acts as food and fuel to feed and encourage the growth of new plants and trees.

Trees that appeared to be dead begin to germinate, regenerate and rebound and the forest begins to spring back to life. Likewise when bad things happen in life, they can be like a forest fire that can ravage and destroy everything in it's path leaving nothing but pain and heartache behind in the ashes.

They can turn our dreams and our lives into ashes and leave our lives devastated and in ruin. But just like in a forest fire, even though our dreams may appear to be dead like the charred, smoldering trees that were scorched by the fire, the tragedy and pain that comes into our lives can often be a catalyst that stimulates and jumps starts our lives.

It can trigger the regrowth of our old dreams, or it can trigger the growth of brand new dreams. They can transform our lives and encourage new growth and positive change. Even in the worst fires, nothing is ever completely destroyed, they are simply transformed into something else.