Two nights ago, my husband and I were watching the news when a “Breaking Story” came onto the screen. I was half-listening as the news anchor started talking about a house fire that had broken out somewhere in Grand Rapids, and after watching the gloomy weather forecast for the next day, we went to bed.
I didn’t think much more about it until I got an email from my son’s preschool teacher the next day, telling us that the dad and six month old brother of one of his classmates died in a house fire. It turns out that it was the fire that they were talking about on the news. I froze, staring at the computer screen, until my son came wandering over to me and asked me out of the blue, “Why does everyone have to die?” I couldn’t manage an answer, but I pulled him in for a fierce hug, and then took him and Fiona into the playroom, putting off my house cleaning and email to spend some quality time which suddenly seemed extra precious…
Later, when I was taking a shower, away from my little brood, I let the tears flow. I didn’t know the parents, other than what I heard secondhand, but I did know the little preschooler, now without her dad, baby brother, and home. The loss seemed too big to handle for such a little girl, and all I could do was put my forehead on the cold tiles and cry out to God to bring comfort, distraction, and understanding. All I could do was claim the promise from Revelation 21:4, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” All I could do was wipe my eyes and get back to my day, appreciating each moment with my family just a little bit more.
Thanks for a message of hope for all
That is so sad. 🙁 I am so sorry for their family.
Yes, it has been tough for our whole community…
What a hard moment to have to be asked that question! Sam and I prayed for Parker this morning. He is such a sweet, caring, and sensitive boy. He seems to always be thinking about things and is inquisitive! We love you!
Thanks for praying – he has had a lot of questions lately, and it is sometimes challenging to make it age-appropriate. We had a long conversation about how he didn’t want to go to heaven, but wanted to stay here forever…deep stuff for a four-year-old!!
When I was teaching in an immigrant neighborhood of Chicago, we lost two of our students to a fire. It turned out the the kids were studying by candlelight in an illegal apartment that had no electricity and it was they who actually started the fire. The whole school was in mourning; your post reminded me of those sad days. Thanks for sharing this poignant story.
It is definitely tough times and hard to think about young lives cut short. Thanks for sharing…