"Your House is on Fire!"

"Your House is on Fire!"--


Several years ago, we had a house fire.  It started in the basement.  It actually put itself out when pipes melted, and water poured down.  While the fire was the beginning, the smoke finished everything.

We were on our way home when we received a phone call saying our house was on fire.  That is not a message we expected to hear that night.  I put the pedal to the metal and hurried home.  Firetrucks blocked the curve by our driveway.  Flashing lights were in the driveway.  Firefighters, dressed in full gear, were coming and going from the house.  It looked like something straight out of a television program.

Everything looked fine from the outside.  We were told where the fire started.  Since the fire was out, smoke was the culprit.  We were allowed inside only long enough to gather personal things--toothbrushes, medicines and a few clothes.  We hurried as we were told it was toxic in the house.

Now we needed a place to stay.  We found an extended stay motel.  That would be our home for more than a month.  The next morning we returned to do a walk-through.  In the daylight we could see how the smoke had ruined walls, carpet, furniture.  Everything was covered with a film.   We hired a company to begin the cleaning process.  Workers arrived the next day and began removing everything.  And I do mean everything.

We lost a few pieces of furniture, a few pieces of art and all the carpet throughout the house--even on the upstairs level.  Smoke had traveled through the vents to all rooms.  Clean-up began.  It was a long process.  Everyday we returned to the house to answer questions and see what was happening.

Eventually, it was all cleaned.  Carpet was laid.  Window treatments and clothes returned from cleaners.  Boxes and boxes of possessions were returned and placed in the basement.  That would be our challenge.  Opening all those boxes and finding a place for things.

It is strange how that felt.  The house was a blank slate.  And now that everything was returned, it was hard to put things away.  It all felt so different.  It was a good time to throw away items we simply should have disposed of years before the fire.  So, we began a pile of things we no longer needed.

People would ask us if we were okay.  I know they were concerned that we had a fire.  And that perhaps we had lost items with sentimental value.  They were concerned that we were out of our house for a long time.  We were honest when we shared that we were fine.

Yes, we had been displaced.  Yes, we lost a few items.  Yes, it is difficult to remember exactly what was in each room for insurance purposes.  Those itemized lists are a pain.  But, our home was standing.  The people from the company who did the cleaning were wonderful--caring and kind. Our insurance agent was so understanding and helpful.  No one was hurt.

No one was hurt.  That is the key to our ability to deal with this positively.

Life can be divided into three sections--people, places, possessions.  This is not my idea.  It is from a book I read years ago.  The order in which we place those three"p's" says much about what we value.     People first.  Places next.  Possessions last.   I will be the first to admit that I love a section of this wonderful country with all my heart.  That would be a place.  And I value a few items.  Pictures, a few pieces of jewelry, some artwork, furniture that belonged to special people in my life. That would be possessions.  But none of those hold a candle to the value of the people in my life.

You may find yourself in a similar circumstance at some point in your life.  Challenges may race toward you.  You may have no warning.  That is life happening.  Some of life's challenges are easier to deal with than others.  Certainly a house fire is nowhere close to the trauma of a death or illness.  The point is those challenges that visit us tell us much about who we are.  We learned so much about ourselves from the fire.

Often there is no time to prepare.  We simply have to walk through whatever situation comes our way.  Those life challenges help us understand the pain that others feel when life hurts.  We can offer our understanding.  And, honestly, that is the essence of life--to extend ourselves to others in need.

Now years after the fire, we need to redo the house again!  Ourselves--not with the help from a fire!:)