So today started out in the normal manner. Up at 4:30 to get showered and ready by 5:00, wake my two boys up so they can get to work (they are detasselling right now) by 5:30. Head to the shop around 6:00, read the news, catch up on the forum, have a cup of coffee.
I've got a summer intern currently, so I put him to work prepping some parts for paint. I had a long time customer and good friend come by the shop with a mysterious rattle in his truck, so we were outside of the shop, checking things on the underside of his truck, then test driving it down the poorly maintained railroad access road just north of my shop. We had just returned to the shop, when I noticed a large column of black smoke coming in the air. I walked out to the road so I could see where it was coming from. My heart sank a little as it looked like it was coming up from my neighborhood. I wanted to go check things out, so my friend and I hopped in his truck and drove toward my place.
There were several police cars with lights ablaze as we turned down the main street, close to the side street that takes you to my house. My heart sank even lower. Turned the corner to our place and police cars parked in front of my house. The smoke was pretty thick right here, so I couldn't tell where it was coming from. Panic started to sink in a little as we came to the corner our house sits on. I stopped as I saw our neighbors from two doors down across the street from our house, and they were visibly upset. I stopped the truck and hopped out, ran over to them. Their house was on fire.
The garage was spewing flames out into the driveway, one of their vans was engulfed in flames. The mom, her parents and her three daughters were there, intensely crying. Their two sons and dad weren't there. One son was mowing lawns (his summer business) and the other was at swim lessons. Dad works in a town about 40 miles away and was on his way home. At least they were safe.
This family is perhaps the nicest, most wholesome family I have ever met in my life. They had only moved back into the house a couple weeks ago, after having the house lifted and a new basement put in under it, as the original brick foundation from 1925 was crumbling. My heart is absolutely broken for them. The kids range in age from 7 to 15. The fire was so intense that it not only burned the garage, the van, the playhouse in the backyard, but also melted the siding on our neighbor's house that is between our houses.
This has really hit my family hard, as their kids play with ours and our youngest goes to Awana with them on Wednesday nights, but not nearly as hard as it is hitting them. By the grace of God, they all are safe, but their home is ruined and their lives, when they should have just been returning to normal, have been turned upside down.
Let's just say that today was not very productive after that. My wife and mom went to the next town over to get them some clothes and toiletries, and our little community has been reaching out with support all day, a blessing in and of itself.
Just wanted to share this here with all of you, to remember the blessings in your lives, to not get too hung up on the problems we face and to hug those close to you an extra time or two tonight.
Photos from the town newspaper:
I've got a summer intern currently, so I put him to work prepping some parts for paint. I had a long time customer and good friend come by the shop with a mysterious rattle in his truck, so we were outside of the shop, checking things on the underside of his truck, then test driving it down the poorly maintained railroad access road just north of my shop. We had just returned to the shop, when I noticed a large column of black smoke coming in the air. I walked out to the road so I could see where it was coming from. My heart sank a little as it looked like it was coming up from my neighborhood. I wanted to go check things out, so my friend and I hopped in his truck and drove toward my place.
There were several police cars with lights ablaze as we turned down the main street, close to the side street that takes you to my house. My heart sank even lower. Turned the corner to our place and police cars parked in front of my house. The smoke was pretty thick right here, so I couldn't tell where it was coming from. Panic started to sink in a little as we came to the corner our house sits on. I stopped as I saw our neighbors from two doors down across the street from our house, and they were visibly upset. I stopped the truck and hopped out, ran over to them. Their house was on fire.
The garage was spewing flames out into the driveway, one of their vans was engulfed in flames. The mom, her parents and her three daughters were there, intensely crying. Their two sons and dad weren't there. One son was mowing lawns (his summer business) and the other was at swim lessons. Dad works in a town about 40 miles away and was on his way home. At least they were safe.
This family is perhaps the nicest, most wholesome family I have ever met in my life. They had only moved back into the house a couple weeks ago, after having the house lifted and a new basement put in under it, as the original brick foundation from 1925 was crumbling. My heart is absolutely broken for them. The kids range in age from 7 to 15. The fire was so intense that it not only burned the garage, the van, the playhouse in the backyard, but also melted the siding on our neighbor's house that is between our houses.
This has really hit my family hard, as their kids play with ours and our youngest goes to Awana with them on Wednesday nights, but not nearly as hard as it is hitting them. By the grace of God, they all are safe, but their home is ruined and their lives, when they should have just been returning to normal, have been turned upside down.
Let's just say that today was not very productive after that. My wife and mom went to the next town over to get them some clothes and toiletries, and our little community has been reaching out with support all day, a blessing in and of itself.
Just wanted to share this here with all of you, to remember the blessings in your lives, to not get too hung up on the problems we face and to hug those close to you an extra time or two tonight.
Photos from the town newspaper:
