Upside Down in Seconds

As I sit here to begin journaling this post, my mind is blank...and full...all at the same time.  The thought of recounting all that happened on Sunday, May 1 makes my stomach turn, my heart ache...and rejoice in God's provisions...all at the same time.  It started out as a normal Sunday afternoon.  Some relax time/naptime for Kiara after lunch and then we had promised the boys we would go out to hunt mushrooms at Grandpa and Grandma's house in the late afternoon.  We went out around 4 and headed back to the woods.  After just a bit, Grant decided he wanted to go back up to the house to play video games, so Phil took him up there and we kept hunting.  Soon, we (my mom, Kiara, Brock and myself) heard what sounded like a crash.  We didn't think much of it, until we heard yet another crash and looked up towards the house to see a stream of smoke.  Not thinking it was anything major, we decided to head back to the house...we then heard another crash, which we realize now were all explosions, and look up toward the house to see flames shooting from the garage roof.  I simply can't tell you the terror that filled each of us as we ran through the woods to get to the lane to get up towards the house and to see those flames shooting.  I honestly can't go into the details, because I'm already crying at the memories.  The details will need to be journaled at another time when it's not so fresh.  All we could think of was Grant, Phil and my Dad who we knew to be in the house and garage. Praise God that they were all able to get out and be safe.  I still don't know all of the details of what led up to them getting to safety because I can't handle them...but I do know that God had a hand on them getting out as they were in the garage, while it was burning, trying to get stuff out.  Grant ran to safety and had to stand and watch by himself as the house burned and Phil and my Dad continued to try to save things and put themselves in danger.  In the meantime, Phil and I were each on cell phones to 911 and then to call my brother and his wife to get them there.  I know it was probably only minutes but standing watching the fire, it felt like hours til the firemen got there.  That is THE most helpless, horrifying experience I have ever felt...I could do nothing and I could see Grant, but not get to him to offer comfort.  All of the containers of gas in the garage, the new mower, my mom's jeep...all exploded and are just shells.    My parent's dog Molly, was trapped in the house and Phil had tried to go back in and get her out.  When they broke the front door to get in the house, she was behind the door and not breathing.  The paramedics did CPR on her and brought her back to life.  She is doing well.  How awesome that they would do that for a dog...one of the paramedics goes to our church and it was good to see a smiling face and have a comforting hug.  By the time we were allowed to come up the lane and around the house, there was a row of cars up and down the roads with people who had seen the smoke, or fire or heard it on a scanner and had come right away to help us, comfort us and pray for us.  That was amazing.  To see those people walking down the road and knowing how much they cared, was more than words can describe.  I think my brother and sister-in-law broke the speed barriers to get here...they came so quickly and I'm so grateful that they were there. Several of my aunts and uncles came quickly, as well as some neighbors who came to take the 6 grandkids to their house to play for the night as we dealt with things (Thanks Troy and Jennifer). The firefighters were all so kind, compassionate and patient with my parents (and all of us) as we dealt with the aftermath.  They are so underpaid and highly trained...never understood quite so much until that night.  Here is a side by side picture of Sunday, April 24 (Easter) and then one week later on Sunday, May 1...the pictures are taken from the same exact viewpoint of the backdoor.

 
The view of what is left of the garage as seen on Monday morning.

The laundry room...didn't get a great angle, but the dryer had clothes in it and the fire/pressure blew it open and charred the clothes into the dryer and some were hanging out even.

The kitchen during the clean up on Monday morning. This is even after some of the insulation had been picked up.  I didn't get great pictures of how thick that was.

The view down the hallway from the kitchen to the laundry room/back door area.

The half bath in the hallway. This WAS the medicine cabinet and sink area.  Notice the towel still hanging on the towel rack.  We were surprised at some of the things that did burn and the things that didn't burn (a whole 12 roll of toilet paper was still intact beside this vanity).

My Mom's jeep...this was in the garage at the time of the fire.  The fire department pulled it out to this spot.  My mom's purse, Bible, camera and so much more were in here.

Their new home on wheels for the time being.  Some people from our church, who happen to be the parents of one of my dearest, long-time friends, let them borrow this to live in for the time being.  We are so blessed that they are able to stay right there with their house and barn.

People have been wonderful...providing meals for my parents, sending prayers and cards, phone calls and texts, providing lodging with the motorhome, offers of vehicles to use, people pitching in to clean out the house of what we needed to salvage.  A whole crew was there on Monday all day and into the evening to help do anything necessary and I know that my parents are so grateful.  Thank you if you were one of them.  There is so much more to say, but I'm emotionally spent after writing what I have.  More details will have to follow in later posts.  There is progress being made on the house...waiting on the trusses (rafters) to arrive before anything else can be done.  Keep praying...soooo many circumstances could've changed so minutely and it would have been a much worse turnout to all of this...those will have to be in a different post too.  Things can be replaced, as hard as it is, but we could have easily lost any one of our family members that day...and we are all still here.  Thank you Jesus for your protection.