A note from Martha and Roger on the LA fires January 2025

here’s a particular kind of silence that follows loss — the kind that humbles you, holds you, and asks you to listen. This past week has brought that silence to our doorstep in ways we could never have guessed.

As many of you know, our home in Mandeville Canyon remains literally right on the fire-line. At this point, we are hopeful that it will survive, though we know it’s not the home, or neighborhood, we left. Our daughter Pam’s home just down the road in the Palisades, didn’t make it — it’s a scene of rubble, ash, and desolation. It hurts so much, personally and for Surya — that’s the home where Surya began! It’s also where Surya grew (along with my family), where Surya found its roots, its home, where friends and community gathered, and where so much healing began. We know we’re not alone in this — Roger’s mom’s house is burned to the ground as well, 60 years after she first moved in. I can feel the generational loss everywhere… homes, memories, and places, reminders of all that had been carried forward and now must be rebuilt.

I also know that Surya was never defined by a building. We’re really a part all the people who have come through our doors, part of this community — and here in LA, a community that’s grieving, navigating, and finding our way forward, together.

In the midst of all this, I’m also so moved by the firemen and everyone who has been on the front line — I’ve got to see how much they risk to protect us and the lives we’ve build. Their courage is a real gift. There are so many people who give. I really haven’t seen anything like it before. So many people I’ve never known before, stepping forward with open hearts, with support, with kindness, with love. I’m surprisingly and happily reminded that we are all here together, and that care is real.

Our doors remain open at Proper Hotel in Santa Monica. Surya continues to be what it always tries to be —a place of refuge and connection, and a place of healing when that’s needed so much right now. We can’t promise what tomorrow holds, but at least we can promise to meet you now with open hearts, and with loving hands.
If you or your friends need a space to pause, to breathe, to have some Surya tea, or just to feel (or be!) held, please come see us. Let us know how we can support you. Together, we will find our way through this. We always have each other. Always together. Thank you.

With all our love,
Martha, Roger, Pam, Christopher & the whole Surya Family