Gunbarrel family recovering from garage fire

It has been a little over two weeks since the May 11 fire that changed the lives of the Holicky family forever. The fire, which was contained mostly to their garage, caused smoke damage to the walls and ceiling of the family's Gunbarrel-area home. Fire damage to the ceiling exposed asbestos into the rest of the home, ultimately making the fire damage much worse than first thought.

The belongings in the garage were completely destroyed by the fire, but most of the items in the house were also left unusable, requiring the family to virtually start over from scratch. The house will likely need to be entirely rebuilt due to the asbestos contamination. Grant Holicky, 50, told the Daily Camera, "The asbestos abatement is going to be incredibly expensive and the insurance won't cover it, not all of it, not even most of it."

In addition to the belongings lost, the Holicky's black, brown and white 10-year-old calico cat, Reeses, has been missing since the fire. Breeze Holicky, 42, told the Daily Camera, "It's hard to move on when we feel like a piece of our family is still missing. We know she's out there and we're desperate to find her." The Holickys have asked that if Reeses is spotted, people do not chase or call for her, but instead take a photo and call either 720-317-7550 or 303-905-4335 with the location.

The family has been staying with Grant's brother in Boulder until they can find a long-term rental property in the general area to create a sense of normalcy for the Holicky's two children, River, 9, and Race, 5. They may be displaced from a permanent home for upwards of a year and a half.

Throughout this unfortunate turn of events, the Holickys have received an outpouring of community support. The boys' friends have given them toys and letters to ease the transition. Breeze Holicky told the Daily Camera, "They've made their lives so great these last few days. They've felt so loved and it makes our lives so much easier having them come home happy and excited. It's an amazing environment and that's why no matter what we will rebuild here and we will always be here because we love this community so much."

A GoFundMe set up for the Holickys has raised $70,255 so far.

According to the May 20 edition of Grant's coaching newsletter, one of the hardest parts of the situation has been creating space for all of the conflicting emotions he and his family are experiencing. He said, "We can have multiple emotions, even contradictory ones, in ourselves at the same time. Where there is deep sadness, there can also be joy. Our job is to allow the space for all of those emotions. That's not to say we can create joy in times of sadness, but we can be with the people that bring us joy. We can seek out joyous endeavors and activities. By contrast, in times of great joy, there is space for doubt, anxiety and sadness. It helps us to appreciate our ups and prepare in a way for the downs that inevitably come."

He continued, "Life is not about avoiding sorrow, but instead knowing that it may be behind that bend up ahead and building our capacity to endure it. All the while knowing that when it comes, we have places in our lives where we can make space for joy amid that sadness. We, as a family, have received so much support and love and are trying hard to allow space for that in our lives right now. While we will toil and stress we will also laugh and love. That, to me, is the key."