Counting Our Blessings

There is so much that we have to be thankful for and today we were reminded of this. We were reminded that although we may not have much, it's more than a lot of people have; we were reminded of how quickly things can change, how everything can be lost in an instant; we were reminded of the truly precious things in life - the health, safety and lives of our loved ones; and we were reminded of the community that we live in, a tiny town whose people are always ready to help each other in times of need.

This morning I was getting ready to take Loo to his Early Childhood Intervention Service session. As I got out of the shower I heard a helicopter flying low and close by. We occasionally hear helicopters around here and I wondered if the kids had heard it, knowing they would be excited and eager to catch a glimpse of it. Seconds later my heart dropped as I heard a siren quickly approaching. Then I realised it was more than one siren, maybe three or four. It was something big, something bad. Various scenarios raced through my head, a major car accident or maybe an accident on a nearby farm. I could hear the sirens were very close and they weren't getting any further away, the emergency vehicles had stopped nearby.

I yelled out to The OH, asking what was going on. He raced outside and, to my horror, called out that it looked like a bomb had hit our neighbour's house, it was engulfed in flames. I felt sick as I quickly threw my clothes on, hoping that N&N and their 2 young adult kids were okay. I stood outside our back door and could see the billowing black smoke and flames rising up high. The OH ran up the road to where a police car was parked near the boundary of our property (and passing a news crew on the way back - they're fast!). The policeman told him that they thought everyone was out of the house but they weren't sure, Mr.N was definitely out at work but they didn't know where the others were. The policeman said that their house couldn't be saved, the fire was too intense and the damage extensive. From reports it seemed that the fire had only been on one side of the house but then the wind picked up, fanning the flames and sweeping it through the entire house.

Loo and I got ready to go while The OH ducked up to the local shop to fuel up the car. I suggested he ask the owners if they could set something up so that donations could be left there for N&N. We had to go out but it didn't take long for the story to appear on the local news online. It seemed that two gas cylinders had caught alight, but thankfully there was no one home at the time. The house, however, had literally been burnt to the ground. I can only imagine devastation and horror that they felt when they got the phone call, when they got home and saw that nothing remained, that a lifetime of little treasures and special keepsakes were gone... the photos, things from the kids' childhood, those small, irreplaceable things that often mean so much.

It's been a good reminder for us to make sure we check our smoke alarms more often and to make sure the boys were aware of the dangers of fire. They had also forgotten what to do in case of a fire so we went over that again as well as what to do in other emergencies and reminding them of when it is appropriate to call 000.

And so as the community gathers around to help a family who has lost so much, I am thankful, for all that we do have.

Am amazed this photo turned out at all, I couldn't stop my hands from shaking!