Sifting through the ashes...

Nearly 30 years ago, a blonde headed little girl came home from vacation to find her home had been destroyed by fire.  Not only had it been destroyed, someone had broken in, stolen all the new appliances and anything else they wanted, then set the house on fire, starting it in the closet next to her room.
I've always been told that children and animals are a good judge of character.  Through this child's eye's, she sees the beer bottles thrown in her yard by the thieves, and the destruction to what she called home.  Anger welled up in her, for she knew the person who had to be responsible, the only person so cold and calculating that he would steal from his brother and destroy his life, the only person who knew the family was away.
Some moment's in peoples life are etched forever in their brain, other's only visit that moment when something triggers it.  That moment was last night, and that little blonde headed girl was me.

Last night while we were at church, our chicken coop/tool shed burnt to the ground, melting and damaging anything nearby.  Monetarily, the loss is minimal in comparison to what it could have been.  Emotionally, it forced me to face emotions I had long since hidden.  Deep inside was the little girl, sifting through the ashes of what was left of her home.

The building that burnt was less than 100 feet away from our home, and only about 10 feet away from our barn.  The Lord was truly protecting us last night.  We did lose our sweet Stella, and that was tearful for us all, but when the sun came up this morning and we could see the devastation, I couldn't help but say, it could have been so much worse.  I thought about listing on here all we lost, just to see it in writing, but I refuse to dwell on the "stuff." It's all replaceable, we are not.  It could have been so much worse.

My mom told me today that only her daughter gets livestock, gets attached, calls it a pet, and bawls like a baby when she burns in the fire.  So, being the awesome mom that she is, had a bouquet of flowers sent to me, just because that's the kind of mom she is.  And I'm thankful that my God is the kind of God He is!