A Little Backstory Part 2
I am thankful for what God brought my family through. Saying that might sound insane, but I am being completely honest. I mean, if this fire never happened I would not have this super cool, jaw-dropping, redneck story to share with you. This situation has taught me so many valuable life lessons.
Looking for the positive in every situation can be extremely difficult, and quite frankly NOT what us humans want to do. I have learned to share the bad, but shine some light on it as if it was good. Let me explain that another way.. Instead of saying, “poor me, my house burnt down and I had a terrible childhood because my house was embarrassing and I shared a bed with my whole family for a while. Wah wah!” I choose to say, “this happened, it was pretty crazy.. But, I like to laugh about it and you know, it really wasn’t that horrible! I actually wouldn’t trade this life-style for the world.” It most certainly was a terrible, heartbreaking, stressful situation.
I will not lie, it was not ideal, it was painful at times, and there definitely were days I wished I had a “normal” life. BUT it could have been worse. In perspective, my life was NOT all that terrible. I am actually extremely thankful for having the childhood that I did!
My parents created an environment that welcomed everyone, no matter what and no matter who. We were a family of 4, and yet every meal we would cook for about 6 or 7 because we had a few extras joining us. Sometimes friends would just stop by when driving past because they wanted to say hi. If anyone called and needed to escape reality for a bit, my parents welcomed them with open arms and a freshly brewed pot of coffee.
This is something I admire most about my parents. They were building a brand new house (that’s GIANT), they were running/building a farm, raising two kids, all on top of working full-time jobs. Did I mention my dad is the one who built/is building this amazing home for us? Two of the busiest people I know and yet, they were ready to drop everything to help a friend or family member when needed. Talk about admirable.
I am thankful for what God brought my family through. I do not believe that He caused this, nor “allowed” this to happen, or even that He was not holding His protective hand over us. Because I know He WAS. If my sister and I would have been home, we more than likely would have died. The fire department said our room was the hottest of them all, and it was directly next to the room where the fire started which probably would have made it difficult for my mom to save us. We were lucky that my mom was the only one home, and that she was able to grab the dog, phone, car keys, and her purse.
God was there with her. How do I know this? Well, as my mom was standing outside, watching our home turn to flames, a neighbor driving by on their way to work stopped. He grabbed the car keys from her and moved the car out of the way (so it didn’t blow up) and then left. I don’t think he even said anything to her. And man, I don’t know what else that could have been than God working through a man in the flesh.
He protected our family through this all, maybe not by miraculously putting the fire out. But, when you look at the small details - you will see He was there. He is the One who stopped the man on his way to work to help my mom. He is the reason we’re all alive and safe.
He. Was. There. And friend, He still is and He always will be!
I know you might not be religious, and that’s okay. I am not here to preach to you. I am here to finally share my story with the world. To let YOU know who I am and how my life has shaped me.