Tragedy Close To Home -

I headed out a short while ago this morning to take my children to school.  As I got further on down the road, it appeared that there were vehicles just parked in the road.  They were not moving, there was not any break lights, and I could see people standing outside their vehicles.... I assumed there must have been an accident.  As I crept forward, a truck coming from the opposite direction pulled up, arm waving out the drivers side window... apparantly a house burned down earlier this morning and the firemen were not letting any vehicles through.  I turned around and called the school to let them know, but they were already aware of the situation.

As I drove back home, my children in the backseat asked what I would do if our house burned down, and wanted to know if  I would cry?  My response: Most Definately!

This question of course led to numerous terrifying thoughts, of my house burning, children trapped inside, losing everything.....This is a fear that sometimes haunts me in the middle of the night, prompting trips through the house, checking on the kids.  Hours of lying in bed, thinking of strategies of how to save my family if this happens.  The kids have been taught fire safety in school, and we have discussed crawling on the floor, stop drop and roll, etc., but if a fire did happen, in the ensuing panic would they remember? Would I?  The image of Mary Ingle (can't remember her married name) from Little House on the Prairie enters my thoughts....the episode where she and her baby are trapped upstairs in a house fire, blind and unable to see, holding her baby as she beats on the window trying to break it....  the baby being lost in the fire...  That episode scared me so much as a little girl. And it is a fear that many people have to face in their lifetime.  In an instant, tragedy can strike and totally disrupt our lives.  This was a reminder to me today to appreciate everything that I have.  To not get caught up in my material possessions, to keep in mind what really matters in life.

My heart goes out to the victims of this house fire, and I pray that no one was injured.   Our material things can always be replaced....eventually.   I pray for this family that they all are unharmed, that they can rebuild their lives after this tragedy, and that they will eventually find peace in the aftermath.

I need to head back out and see if the road is clear so the kids can go to school.  I do not know yet who these victims are, but they will be in my thoughts and prayers.......