06.26.2007 at 10:39 p.m.

no more heirlooms

no. it wasn't just a house. it was their home. home to laura, chris (laura's husband), olivia (laura's younger daughter), and mittie (laura's mother). and it was even a temporary home to laura's brother, his wife and five of their children. it was the home that laura was raised in by her mother, mittie. it was the home that was added on to so that everyone could live together.

so tonight, there are four people who lost every physical possession that they owned, and seven who lost a great deal of what they owned.

eleven people who are not able to sleep in their own beds tonight.

eleven people who probably just witnessed one of the most horrifying events of their lives.

eleven people who stood in disbelief and distress that everything was literally going up in smoke.

when i got there, catherine still had tear stains down her face. laura was acting so calm that it was almost scary. and mittie? i'm not sure that she was allowing her brain to comprehend what had happened.

olivia was so upset (she's 8 years old) that she had to be taken to a friend's house to stay.

and by the way, olivia has cerebral palsy and epilepsy. laura was more worried about getting her anti-seizure medication than anything else.

there was no one in the house when it caught on fire. i'm not exactly sure what caused the blaze, but i think i overheard that it started in the attic.

not that it matters. it's gone. it's all gone.

when i arrived there, i asked laura if i could take some pictures.

"sure!" she said with a sarcastic chuckle. i know now that there is, for a fact, a fine line between laughing and crying.

"can i blog about this?" i sheepishly asked.

"i don't care, honey. it surely doesn't matter to me..." her voice trailed off as she fixed her eyes on the house again. still smoking. still burning in places.

as i walked towards the house with my camera, the local volunteer fire department asked if i would take their picture. they were dirty and sweaty. they had just worked their butts off, and still couldn't help salvage anything. but they tried.

catherine and i walked closer to the house. the heat radiating from the rubble was overwhelming. i could not imagine being a fireman.

as i snapped pictures, i could hear boards creaking and falling to the floor. yeah. the floor was still there. so were some of the external walls. but only because they were brick.

no roof.

no windows.

no doors.

no interior walls.

no more pictures.

no more heirlooms.

no more curtains.

no more anything.

i think i ended up taking about 20 pictures total. and they are some of the saddest pictures i have ever taken. and i hope i never have that opportunity again.

because there is nothing that will be able to be salvaged from this.

i told catherine, "it's just stuff. stuff can be replaced. everyone is alright. THAT is what matters..."

when i got home, it hit me. i was standing in my house. in the air conditioning. with my laptop still on from earlier that morning. with janie's toys scattered on the floor of her bedroom. with all of my pictures still in their frames on my walls. with my cheap-o rug on the floor. with my crystal still in the display case. with food in my fridge. with my clothes still in my closet.

i had all of my stuff. laura had just lost everything but what she had worn to work that morning.

and i am about (hopefully, God willing) to move into my dream house.

how could i say to her that it is just stuff.

i called her back to apologize.

"i'm sorry catherine. it is just stuff. but... " i didn't really know what to say. i wanted her to understand that i didn't mean it like it sounded earlier.

"i know. and stuff can be replaced. it can be. it will just take time."

"laura wears about the same size i do... and olivia... we can do something about that too. i've got shoes laura can wear. i'll go through my packed up clothes. find out about the other kids, tommy's kids. i might not have anything for the boys, but i might have something for the girls. between me and jami, we can see what we can do..." my head was spinning.... i have stuff! i have more stuff than i know what to do with!

which box has my size 16 and 18 clothes... and shoes... yeah, i had just washed two pair of tennis shoes that i think laura can wear. i gotta get those to her. and flip flops, i've got at least three pair of old navy flip flops i can give her - brand new! never been worn. and bras! oh, do i have bras.... i wonder what size she wears... and some people are weird about wearing other people's bras.... hmmmm..... i'll have to ask..... i wonder if i can give olivia some toys.... like some of janie's kitchen toys... she loves to play outside in a sandbox with a pot and a spoon.....

i've pulled out the shoes and flip flops... chris found the box of clothes (we think) and i will go through them tomorrow.

because i could not begin to imagine how devastating losing everything would be. and i hope i never have to.

this is what life is made up of... stuff. and even though you can't take it with you when you die, you can't take money either. so we might as well enjoy some stuff while we are here.

LaurasHouseFire

xoxo

♥ ∞ ♥

tell me i'm beautiful...

||

before || my pins || after