Fire on the Farm!

Yesterday was Mom's 72nd Birthday...

And we had a beautiful "celebration," but the rather incendiary turn of events at the farm precluded my lovely blog post last night!

So, today you get two for the price of one.  First, the Fire (most important...we're all OK, whewww!)...

Yesterday afternoon, as I was driving home from Dad's and our commemorative Birthday festivities (more on that later), I noticed smoke in the distance, and it sure looked suspiciously close to our place. But, I reasoned, what are the chances?

None of the neighbors had called, no fire engine sirens were blaring. Probably just a controlled burn...

Except, the closer I got to home, the closer it looked to be our place... I turned down the lane, still no fire engines, but tons more smoke... drove thru our gate, heart pounding, and saw smoke billowing across the driveway....

The woods were on fire. Holy Smokes! And there was lots of smoke. The fire was low and smoldering thru all the leaf tinder and spreading fast...

9-1-1 !!!!!!!! What's your emergency? FIRE!!!! FIRE!!!! FIRE!!!!! (I may have sounded just a little hysterical....maybe....)

And then I called Leroy and Travis (they were at Trav's working on a truck), and yelled FIRE! (a wee bit less hysterical...maybe...)

Good news. Leroy and Travis made it home fast. And so did the Fire Department. 2 hours and thousands of GALLONS of water later, the fire was out and we were breathing much easier.

And the really great news? Moments after the Fire Department left, the skies opened up and the RAIN came down in a Big, Drenching, Swoosh of a Soaker. What a Gift, after weeks without a drop of rain. God's Perfect Timing...

Cause of the fire? No idea. The Firefighters couldn't pinpoint a cause. Perhaps a spark from the Transmission Lines overhead,

 or an ember from a big grass fire way south of us (not likely, but maybe), in other words, we may never know. Kind of scary to think we're that susceptible to random fires...

And the neighbors?  No one else was home at the time the fire broke out - doubly scary... If I had lingered at Dad's or done some shopping (it happens), and been even a half hour later, the fire would have swept into the ravine and been nigh impossible for the Fire-fighters to reach.  Shudder....

God's Providential Hand...Grace in Action...

Which is exactly how Mom's Commemorative Birthday came about.  A providential timing orchestrated by unseen hands for a family that was dreading another first.  A Birthday without Mom. 

Several weeks ago, Dad received an invitation from the Cemetary/Columbarium were Mom is inurned.  They were hosting a service about Organ Donation presented by UT Southwest and also having an "indoor" picnic for all the families with loved ones buried there.

The Date?  Saturday, July 21st.  Mom's 72nd Birthday.

A difficult day, made so much easier by the love, laughter and community of others facing similar journeys.  The service was touching.  Several donor recipients shared their stories and one family shared the heartbreak of losing their son only to have his life continue on in the lives of so many others thru organ donation.

Then after the service, we participated in a group Butterfly Release.  Simply the sweetest, most uplifting part of our day.  Even Dad was captivated...

As the butterflies circled around us, dipping and swaying, lighting upon our shoulders and hands, we read in unison the verse from  Numbers 6:24-26:

"The Lord bless you
and keep you;

The Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;

The Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace."

Mom would have been utterly charmed.  Dad and I agreed that we couldn't have planned it better if we had tried...

Happy Birthday Mom!

You are loved always and forever....

P.S.  The Goats, Donkey, Dogs, Cats, and Peacocks survived the Farm Fire with nary a singed feather, nor sooty hoof.  Tonight we are humbled completely by God's Merciful, Abundant, Soul-Soaking Grace...