What Really Matters...

It had been done a hundred times before.

This time it turned out different.

My husband took some trash out to burn in our fire pit.
Just some cardboard and some magazines.

I even had him check this morning
to make sure the burn ban was not in effect.

And a short time later I heard him yell from outside for help...

The flames had jumped the pit and were out of control.

The medical person in me reacted in a triage fashion:

Call 911...

 Make sure the animals are okay....

Move the cars so the fire trucks could get inside the gate...

Rush back outside to help him put out the flames.

 We are still in our "old" house way out in the country.

It took the volunteer fire trucks almost 20 minutes to arrive.
Twenty long minutes, and I thought for sure our home
would be engulfed before they got there.

But arrive they did.

All four of them.

 Our siding on the back side of our home was burned,
and the flames came right up to the house.
We both inhaled a fair amount of smoke,
and I have some burns on my feet.

However....

 we are safe.

 Winnie is safe inside.

Havok and Belle are safe around to the side of the house.

And we still have a home.

And our lives.

I am shaken beyond belief, but so grateful, 

as I know that we came very. very close to losing everything today.

Everything materially, that is.

I'll be away for a bit as I process what happened today.

Giving thanks to God above....