Fire In The Hole!

Today we came home from church to find a scary surprise. When we pulled into our parking lot there was  a fire truck parked in the lot, but it did not concern us at all. It seems like every few days there's a fire truck, ambulance, EMT, or something like that parked around here and I can never figure out what's going on, but it never seems serious. As me and Tyler walked from the car to our apartment we saw some fire fighters and I jokingly asked, "M-212 [our apartment] is still standing isn't it?" They said yes, but I didn't realize how close that came to being a "no". As we came around the corner we saw that the apartment directly across from our was completely burned down!!


And I'm not talking a small kitchen fire here, the apartment and everything in it is charred beyond recognition. I snuck a few pictures before they boarded it all up. 

Isn't that crazy?! I'm amazed how this place that is only 10 feet away from us can be completed destroyed and our apartment is untouched. I wish I could say the same for the surrounding apartments. The apt directly below this one got flooded from the fire fighter hoses and the apartments next to and behind this one also had fire damage. The apartments owners were here trying to get everyone taken care of, talking to the fire fighters, filling out a police report, getting resident fixed up with new apartments, etc. It's been lively around here.


We asked the fire fighters what caused the fire and they said they didn't know. They also didn't know if the family that lived there was even aware that their whole apartment went up in smoke. I'm a little overwhelmed by this whole event. We left for church today not thinking anything would be different about today than any other day. What if we had come home and it was OUR apartment that had been torched? We don't have much as far as possessions go, but if I had come home to find that everything I owned was just a pile of rubble I don't know what I would do. It is a sobering thought to think how it only takes one fire to consume every one of your possessions. It's a good reminder to keep focused on the things that really matter like family and goals and progressing in the eternal sense. 


The sister missionaries loaned me some talks by Sheri Dew on CD that I've been listening to on my drives to work. I've been thinking a lot about how there is so much more that I should be and can be doing to be fulfilling my role here on the earth. I go about my daily business working, cooking, cleaning, exercising, perusing the internet, etc, etc, etc. Why don't I spend more time studying my scriptures? Why don't I read more conference talks? Why don't I find ways to serve those around me? Why don't I pray more?  Why am I not seeking to learn my purpose for being here on earth at this specific time in history and working toward fulfilling my calling here?


It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day duties of life and I think I often forget to focus on my spiritual progression. I also am someone who likes (and aspires) to have nice clothes, nice furniture, nice decorations, nice dishes, nice THINGS and seeing that charred, burnt, toasted apartment reminded me that it can all be taken away in the blink of an eye.


I think I'm getting a bit preachy here, but this has all been running though my head as I've been watching the clean up of this burnt apartment and considering how different my life would be right now if we had been the ones to come home to this unhappy mess. I'm so grateful for the gospel in my life and the values I have. I'm grateful for family and especially for my sweet hubby who I love more than anyone or anything. I'm grateful that it wasn't our apartment that burned down and for this in-your-face reminder of what really matters. I'm ready to start living up to what's expected of me so it doesn't have to get any more up close and personal than this. Message received, Lord!