This guest post was written by glass artist Licha Ochoa Nicholson of Marietta, GA.
I welcome others to contribute the beauty they’ve seen!
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I’ve always believed that the Universe provides us with a path to follow, and I’ve embraced whatever path has come my way. I’ve always looked forward to what the future holds, ready to approach the unknown with an open mind.
On January 16, 2025, my journey took an unexpected turn when our house caught fire. At first, I was stunned to realize that a majority of my personal belongings had been lost, but my glass art studio had also been consumed by the flames, shifting the course of my life in a way I could never have anticipated.
Once the fire was under control four hours later, we were told our home was uninhabitable due to the smoke and soot damage. We were allowed a brief window to retrieve only the essentials needed to get through the night, before being relocated to a hotel.
What we thought would be a short stay in a hotel soon turned into several days, as we waited for news on when we could return. Eventually, we were informed that our house would not be livable at all, and it would take six months to fully restore it from the aftermath of the fire.
We were granted access to the house to begin the difficult task of sorting through what could be salvaged and discarding what was beyond repair. Now, as of February 26, 2025, we continue the laborious process of sorting and purging our belongings from the smoke and soot-damaged home.
As I remove items from the charred walls, I find unexpected beauty in the marks left behind—scars of mirrors, family photos, clocks, and artwork that once proudly adorned the walls, each now telling a story of the fire’s devastation.
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