My neighbor's house burned down today. It happened because the young boy left a candle burning in his bedroom.
I rode my bike past it again tonight and stared at the black shell. The two topiaries are still standing proudly on both sides of the front door but i know in a short matter of time, they will lose their confidence and turn to shrub. And the grass will undoubtedly die of thirst . The home will be abandoned for way too many long months before it is rebuilt. It'll be its own graveyard.
The mom was out at the mall when the fire started. She was probably buying new clothes with all the Memorial Days sales going on. Maybe even spending her stimulus refund check. One moment, they had everything. Now all she has is what she was carrying inside her bag.
Thank God she still has her family.
And pets. Their iguanas were rescued and gasping fresh air in the front yard.
I felt so saddened by their tragedy. What do you say to someone who just lost their home?
You just never know when what you have surrounding you will disappear. And what really only matters are the people in our life.
Tragedy has a way of reminding us that.
I pedaled my way back home and was grateful to have a home to walk into. I walked into my new kitchen to start painting the walls and even though I'm thrilled to have this newly updated kitchen. It's still just a kitchen.
And I know only too well that there are things more important than a kitchen.
And that's you.
7 comments:
Ahhhhh...very well said, Shawn. It's very unsettling having something traumatic happen so close to your own nest...and life. I too wish good things for your neighbors and that this will soon be a distant memory for them.
Look at all those fire engines!! Wow, you guys have GREAT response in your hood!
Tragedy reminds us not to take things for granted -- life is fragile and time does not wait. So, hold on and invest in the most important thing in life. This is an important and thoughtful post. Thank you, Shawn.
*It’s great to hear that the boy and the iguana were okay.
All it took was a candle! very thoughtful post Shawn! My best wishes for the poor family, I'm sure they'll be taken care of by the Red Cross, and the iguana too.
OMG...that poor family. It is things like this that make us treasure our good fortune, isn't it?
Such a tragedy. It really puts things in perspective... makes the things I worry or stress about really seem unimportant. Well, at least all living creatures are alive and well (as well as expected). So sad. :(
Thanks ya guys for all your comments! It meant a lot to me.
A friend of mine just tonight dropped by the newspaper of the fire story and apparently they weren't iguanas but.. bearded dragon lizards.
The firefighters saved them as well as the dog and and a tank full of fish..
So.... apparently all is well. And we're all grateful.
Gosh, that is a lot of pets (the bearded dragon lizards sound really cool)! They must be a really responsible family. We only have 1 dog and he has to remind us all the time to feed him.
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