Fire

I’ve sat down twenty times in an attempt to write a blog about the last week, and the emotions overwhelm me every time. It’s not the grief for things lost – the books, hand-carved desks, family tree, Gmundner Keramik, and photo albums. I stopped tearing up about those things on Thursday. Rather, it’s the outpouring of love by the Body of Christ. It has knocked me off my feet. We read about how we’re the bride of Christ, meant to be radiant, drawing people in, getting ready for his return and our big wedding day. Well, this week, it surpassed the mere sense of sight for me, from words on a page into reality. I felt it in the hugs, heard about it in the gifts, and tasted it in the tears.

It’s still hard to believe my parents’ and Scotti + Fiona’s house is gone, even though we’re past the initial shock and definitely in the hard period of logistics now: ordering checks, buying shoes, meeting with insurance agents, and painstakingly trying to remember what was in each room for the itemization. (And by “we,” I really mean them). This is the beginning of the slow rebuilding phase, of trying to return to some normalcy. Poor Livvi – she’s probably having the hardest time with it. How do you explain to a 2-year-old why you can’t just return home and why all her old toys are gone?

On Sunday, the whole family (minus me, sadly) got to return and sift through the ashes. It was emotional, though not as sad as anyone had anticipated. The only few things that survived were some pottery items and a couple of mugs that had been in the dishwasher. However, it was cathartic for them to be able to say good-bye with their own eyes and hands. In typical grace-filled fashion, as they have been demonstrating all week, the four adults who lost everything came out smiling.

Obviously, I can’t wait to join them, but in the mean time, I’m relishing seeing the Body at work. One lady took Fiona shopping for clothes for the whole family and footed the bill. At Dick Sporting Goods the other day, the sales clerk recognized their street name, and they made my parents pick out more stuff and sold it all at cost to them. Here in Minnesota, both at my church and at my brother’s, two ladies have come up to us with brand new socks and sheets and toys for us to take down and share. And the youcaring.com site that a friend set up for my family has passed an astounding $12,000! You can’t tell me the Church has forgotten how to love. 

This is just overwhelming, and I probably need to finish this post, so I can go cry again. Praise God for his faithfulness, and thank you for your prayers and gifts as we all continue to process.