The Fire

It is no accident that I am launching my blog and my website today, March 24th, 2021. You see, we have all (like literally everyone in the world) been through a crazy year. A challenging year for most. A year of firsts and, for some, unimaginable hardship and pain for others. A year of change collectively and individually.

Nearly a year ago, the whole world shut down for weeks that turned into months that become a year. And it has been challenging.

For my family and me, it was a challenging year BEFORE that, followed by another hard year. An actual “you can’t make this shit up” moment. 

You see, on March 24th, 2019, my world went up in flames. On this day two years ago, we had a house fire that took everything with it. It was a beautiful spring day. Neighbors were BBQing; it was the warmest day after a series of cold and rainy days.

“On this day two years ago, we had a house fire that took everything with it.”

My son was home enjoying a lazy Sunday playing video games. My husband was at the gym. I was sitting at a coffee shop with my daughter searching for college scholarships when the phone rang. I could hear the fear in my son’s voice telling us the house was on fire.

What? I said as I frantically left the coffee shop—mobilizing on autopilot because it was all a blur. I had no idea what I was about to come home to—and yet I could hear in his voice it was bad. As I approached the top of the hill leading to our home, I saw the dark black smoke.

As we rounded the corner, what I saw is difficult to put into words. The flames were so big. So bright.

I pulled onto our road, and I do not recall stopping or putting it in park. The windows were left down. The doors left open, as I sprinted to find my son.

Neighbors were gathered. We beat the fire department home, so we stood across the street crying and embracing my son as hard as we could—my daughter and I—just to feel him and know he was alive. Thank God he is alive!

Watching and waiting for the fire trucks as our home erupted in flames, frantically trying to reach my husband. And when he arrived home, seeing him drop to his knees as he too rounded the corner running to find us—running because by then there were fire trucks everywhere and he could not drive up to the house. Falling to his knees because he had NO idea what he was coming home to.

This was the day it all shifted. I would not realize the impact for months to come—but this is the day it all changed.

“This was the day it all shifted. I would not realize the impact for months to come—but this is the day it all changed.”

So, when COVID-19 hit, it was on the heels of a traumatic time in our lives. More hard following the hardest of times we had experienced as a family. I remember laughing and saying, You REALLY can’t make this shit up!

We still were not back in our home, and now we found ourselves homeless because the temporary housing provided by insurance had expired—even though the house was not yet complete. And now—now there would be further delays because—well, global pandemic!  

So, through the generosity of good friends, we moved into their in-law suite. Four adults and a large dog, and about 800 square feet. We can do this. We can do hard things. It became our family mantra. The affirmation we told ourselves every morning and every night.

So, it is a surprise to me in some ways that two years later, I can tell you that I am thankful for that hard. I would never want to go through that again, and I pray no one close to me has to go through that kind of experience—however, we found the courage and the strength to pull through. 

And — I am thankful for that hard!

Pictured above: A rare moment of joy we found as a family in the midst of unmeasurable pain in 2019.

To be continued…

Thanks for being here!

Stronger together,
C

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