You always know any conversation that begins, "the kids are OK" and then slides into the dreaded "but" is going to be one you don't want to hear. Such was the case last Monday.
I was just getting ready to return home from Victoria after a pleasant Easter weekend with two of my sisters and niece when the phone call came. After the heart stopping beginning, my husband went on to say my middle son Randy and his family had lost their home and almost all their possessions in a four-alarm fire early that morning. His stepdaughters had the presence of mind to stuff their clothes in a duffle bag and toss them out the upstairs window.
"Dad, we weren't going anywhere without our clothes," provided the one bit of humour in a dark day.
When I managed to talk to my son, he told me if their little dog hadn't started barking, they likely wouldn't have escaped the fire. For while the smoke alarm went off, no one in the house heard it because it was downstairs and the bedrooms were upstairs.
The fire, which began next door, had spread rapidly to envelop my son's home.
It's bad enough when a disaster happens and it's close to home, but in this case my son lives in Saskatoon, which makes helping him in any way but monetarily difficult. Like struggling young people everywhere, the family didn't have insurance, and the landlord's basic insurance covered only the building.
And while I'm eternally grateful no one was hurt in the blaze, the next few months will be trying ones. There are appliances, furniture and clothing to replace. The kids' toys were lost, along with most of the family's souvenirs and keepsakes collected over the years.
Fortunately for Randy, as is the case for many victims of disasters, the Salvation Army and caring friends and strangers have helped them.
There are lessons to be learned here, as in all of life's challenges. The main one is to have smoke alarms on every floor of your home, especially the one where the bedrooms are. Have an exit plan in case of fire. Don't let panic be your guide in a smoky nightmare. And although I personally think insurance is a necessity not a luxury, I can understand some folks just cannot find the money for that expense.
While some losses can never be compensated for, the fact that all five made it out without injury is all the proof I need of miracles existing in our time. That phone call could have been much worse.
