You’ve probably heard that Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over the lantern and started the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

That’s disputed, but the fire’s destruction isn’t. It killed over 300 people, left 100,000 homeless and destroyed 18,000 buildings valued today at over $23 billion!

Yet the people of Chicago responded remarkably. They created Fire Prevention Week to raise fire awareness and on the very site of Mrs. O’Leary’s barn now stands the Chicago Fire Department Training Academy. Could there be a more fitting and constructive response?

That reminds us how we should respond to tragedy. Make every effort to extinguish the fires of hardship in your life by reacting positively and you’ll have productive results.