UPDATE: Mackenzie and Josiah BOTH tested positive for Strep Throat yesterday afternoon in our pediatrician's office. That just adds to the week! :) I really am feeling much better now, though.
No, this is not our house; however, it is in our neighborhood and very close to "home." Less than one week ago this house was standing, intact, and beautiful. The elderly couple who lived there went out to dinner, during which time, a storm blew through our area. We were home. We heard loud claps of thunder and saw many vertical bolts of lightening. We assured the kids we were safe. After all, the storm is outside; we are inside. We head upstairs to distract the kids from the storm. I glanced out the bonus room window. I froze, blinked, and stared. In a matter of seconds I was telling my mom (who was here visiting) what I saw while grabbing the phone and dialing 911. The operator assured me that she had dispatched a fire truck to our neighborhood even before we hung up the phone. I made sure my children were being watched by my mom and I ran to some nearby neighbors to alert them of the blazing fire just down the street. Mark and David went to ring the bell/ bang on the door in attempt to alert anyone inside the house to get out! We did not know they were out to dinner at that time. No answer. Other neighbors hooked hoses up and received jolts of lightening, the cause of the fire, as they began to soak a nearby home with water in attempt to stop the spread of the fire. Minutes passed. Too many minutes, before the fire trucks began to arrive. By the time it was all said and done, four fire trucks, 2 ambulances, a doctor, a vet (yes, the family dog survived), and two different news crews had all spent a good deal of time on our street that evening.
Notice the house to the left has siding melted, but actually remained intact otherwise. The garage and its contents are the only things that survived the fire. All else was lost.
Mackenzie and Josiah watched from our bonus room windows as the whole ordeal unfolded. From their perspectives came many, many questions during and following the incident. Mackenzie did not sleep well that first night. She kept saying, "Mommy, I'm sad that the lady's house is broken." Josiah wanted to know, "More fire? More smoke?" I took them both on walks late that night to show them that, yes, the house is broken, but everyone is okay. Also, to show them that the fire is out and the smoke is gone, though the odor lingered in our neighborhood for days afterward. Our vehicles were covered in a fine layer of ash the next day. The kids took a few days to process the whole tragic event, but they did processes it and are just fine. It is a helpless feeling to watch something of that magnitude unfold and have no power to stop it. So many scriptures come to mind...
James refers to the tongue as a fire in James 3:6.
II Timothy 1:6-8a says, "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord!!"
Jude 1:23 "snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear-hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh."
I Thessalonians 5:19-23a "Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through."
The power of fire is huge. Indescribable, really. The main thing that struck me most is this: The elderly couple went to dinner. All was normal in their world. When they arrived home after supper, all they had left in this world was the clothes on their backs. Literally. What would I do if that was me? How would I react? How tightly do I cling to things of this world? In Whom have I placed my trust and faith? And what can I do to make a difference in the world around me?
So I leave you with these thoughts.
Matthew 6:27 "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?....vs33 & 34 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 11:28- 30 "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
(Side note: The rest of the week is as follows: The Millers, our very dear friends, moved out of state, and I ended up in the ER Saturday night with what the doctor called a "rip roaring case of strep throat." He actually thought, on exam, that I had an abscess. A positive rapid strep, a neg CT with contrast of neck tissues, a WBC of 18,000 (normal is 10,000 or less), and a dose of IV Clindamycin later...they decided to send me home with 10 days of antibiotics and no abscess! Whew. What a week!)
While we were in Nashville, we "played" at Opry Mills. The kids love being at the mall here, so we figured they would enjoy this one, too! Indeed, they did. We rode the "mall rides," visited the sting ray bay, rode the carousel, and took the kids bowling for the very first time. Mackenzie had been asking to bowl for several months now; she enjoyed it, but got bored before the game was over! Above are two pics of her styling in her bowling shoes! The coloring in the pictures turned out funny because this bowling alley has lots of black lights. However, they turned out well enough to give you an idea of what the kids looked like while bowling!
Believe it or not, even Josiah could carry the 6 lb bowling ball by himself! Speaking of by himself...he just mastered the entire alphabet A to Z without needing prompts anymore. Josiah also bored of bowling before the game was finished! We had fun anyway, and I had to document that "first!" 
While we were in Nashville, we "played" at Opry Mills. The kids love being at the mall here, so we figured they would enjoy this one, too! Indeed, they did. We rode the "mall rides," visited the sting ray bay, rode the carousel, and took the kids bowling for the very first time. Mackenzie had been asking to bowl for several months now; she enjoyed it, but got bored before the game was over! Above are two pics of her styling in her bowling shoes! The coloring in the pictures turned out funny because this bowling alley has lots of black lights. However, they turned out well enough to give you an idea of what the kids looked like while bowling!
Believe it or not, even Josiah could carry the 6 lb bowling ball by himself! Speaking of by himself...he just mastered the entire alphabet A to Z without needing prompts anymore. Josiah also bored of bowling before the game was finished! We had fun anyway, and I had to document that "first!" 
