#23 - #27 Happy Fire Day

Today's miracle post reflects on many miracles that occurred long ago. Miracles that shook and shattered and shaped various parts of my life.  My family calls February 5th "Fire Day". On February 5th, 2007, just over 10 years ago, our house burnt down.

There is a surreal feeling that comes as you stand in front of your own home, watching the sun set, and realizing you don't know where you will be sleeping that night.  Months, and even years, went by where I would find myself looking for something, only to remember we had lost it. And yet - I call my parents every year and wish them a Happy Fire Day, like I would do on a holiday or their birthdays.

I'm a few days late for the actual Fire day - it's been a pretty busy week - but I wanted to share some of the miracles I've been thinking about this week.

#23 - No one was home. We can all play the 'What If' game and wonder what might have happened if someone was home and called the fire department sooner. But that coin has two sides. What if someone had been home, but taking a nap and unaware of the fire which burned through the roof and walls before breaking into the house.  Everyone was safe. The tragedy of losing our stuff was not deepened by the tragedy of losing a family member.

#24 - Part of the surreal feeling of standing in front of half your house as the firemen pack up their trucks to leave is the questions that fill your mind. Where will we sleep? What's for dinner? What am I going to where to school tomorrow? (I was a teenager - sleep, food, and cloths are really important at 17.) But all my questions were answered. Our insurance company paid for a hotel, the Red Cross gave us money to get toiletries and some clothing, and people from church brought us into their homes and fed us. There were answers to all the most concerning questions.

#25 - My family was surrounded by people who realized our needs before we did. One good friend from church called our insurance company and made sure that they were helping us from the very start.  When we arrived to dinner that first night, we were given fleece blankets and notebooks so we would have a place to write down everything we lost (a request from the insurance company). When we checked into a hotel later that evening, the front desk handed us bags of clothing that people had dropped off for us. You learn to love in a different way when your world suddenly opens its arms to hold you up.

#26 - As a family, this experience brought us really close together. I mean, we all slept in the same hotel room for 3 weeks while trying to find a rental. But in addition to that, we lost everything. There was no more Playstation to fight over who got to play. No more Gameboys or iPods to shut out the world with. Just six people in a hotel room, wondering where we would get dinner and if we had any clean clothes left. We had lost all our board games, so we made up games to play. And everyday we got to remember the first miracle I mentioned - of everything lost, we still had each other.

#27 - Things become both very unimportant and very important. I learned, in a very abrupt way, that all the things I own really don't matter. As heart breaking as it was to lose books and clothes and electronics and whatever, basically everything is replaceable. As I discovered how unimportant those things are, other things become more important. Some non-tangible things, like a better relationship with my family, but also some tangible things. They stop being things and instead become memories. Out of the rubble of my room, I was able to save the stuffed bear that I was given as a newborn in the hospital. A family friend dug through my collapsed closet to find a prom dress that I had purchased, but had never had a chance to wear. I still have the Converse that I was wearing that day. A stuffed bear, a dress, and a pair of shoes are now important not because of the things they are, but because of the people and the moment they remind me of.

There are many more miracles which surround that day, I could go on forever. In fact, if you ask me about that day I will go on forever, telling you all the silly details I remember. There are so many days from 10 years ago that came and went and were forgotten. February 5th, for me, is not one of those days. I am really grateful that I can remember all these miracles.