well before my alarm was set to go off,
I was startled awake by the sound of our smoke detectors.
There is nothing quite like waking up to this sound and the fear of a possible house fire.
Thoughts went rushing through my mind in a split second!
Fire!
The kids!
Get out of the house!
Where is the fire!
Oh Yeah! Put clothes on first!
...And a million other thoughts.
As we explored and took survey of our house and couldn't find smoke or fire, my thoughts then turned to the question,
What would I grab if the house were on fire and I had time?
What is most precious to me?
After making sure the family is safe,
My first thought was to grab my bible, not because I am that religious, but because all the sentimental notes, pictures, letters, funeral cards, and such are tucked inside.
Next on my list was my camera, then the external hard-drive with my photographs, but the more I thought about it,
even my pictures were something I could leave behind.
I don't have a long list of possessions that are precious.
I don't even have short list.
I don't have fancy clothes, gold or diamonds.
I don't have precious knickknacks or expensive collectables.
I do collect rocks,
mostly heart-shaped rocks.
But I'm not attached to them.
If I had plenty of time,
I might grab the quilts grandma has made for me & the kids over the years,
but they were not in the top 5 possessions that came to mind.
Honestly, my thoughts were more practical.
(Imagine that, me... practical.)
Change of clothes,
shoes,
phone,
And blanket if it's cold out.
Not just for me, but for the kids as well.
I guess I was in 'mom mode'.
On the drive to school Laura and I had a chance to talk about the smoke detector/fire scare.
I asked Laura, "If it had been a real fire, what would you have done?"
She said, "jump out my window.!"
I said, "What? You know there is concrete under your window. You could die from jumping.
What about the fire safety ladder in your room.
Do you even know where it is?"
With a chuckle she said, "Yes, its under the table by the window."
"So let me understand, you would risk your life by jumping rather than use the fire safety ladder?" I asked.
"Well, I would go over to the grassy part of the yard and then jump.
And then I would tuck and roll." she added with a laugh.
She continued to explain how she envisioned using the safety ladder taking too long.
She would have to get it out of the box,
read the directions,
get it set up, all before climbing out of the window.
It made me realize we need an actual fire drill in addition to the basic instructions we have given the kids.
I then asked Laura, "If there had been a fire, what would you grab first?"
She didn't think long before saying, "I would take my blankie, put everything on it and throw it out the window before I jumped."
"Like what?" I asked.
"My picture books,
whammy (a Lamb she has had since birth-I have restuffed, restitched, and repaired a few times over the past 13 years.)
and maybe my dishes from Japan."
"You know the dishes might break when they land on the concrete?", I reminded her.
"yeah. I know." and she grinned.
I am curious though,
"What picture books?" I asked
"You know, the red one you gave me, and the ones Melissa and Lindsey gave me."
I was drawing a blank.
But it was clear by Laura's reaction that I should know her favorite books.
Then Laura said, "The ones with my favorite pictures."
"Oh! Your photo albums!" (my light finally went on.)
She said, "I call them picture books."
With that we exchanged "I Love You's".
And she was off to school.
I was glad to know that what Laura finds precious are her 'picture books' & whammy.
Sentimental items that hold memories for her,
that is what she would save in event of a fire,
Those are the things she holds precious.
I hope we never have to actually choose!
- Posted by DWNTWN
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