Five years (and two weeks) ago, we had a major event in our lives. I thought about writing a little something to commemorate having successfully marched a full five years away from it on the anniversary, about all the change and growth, but decided not to revisit the memories.
And then yesterday i got an email that i want to share. But before i share it, i have to tell SOME of our story, give you another little piece of the puzzle that makes us who we are.
We had a house fire. My joke about it used to be that we got out with all of the kids, half of the animals, and a rocking chair.
It was a devastating, yet cathartic experience.
A fire like that is kind of like having an obnoxious relative that forces itself into your home, steals all the family photos, heirloom furniture, and your baby's artwork, and then sits down at your kitchen table to gloat. You want to get rid of it, but it won't leave. It just continues to hang around, chiding you for your secret anxiety every time you see someone burning trash (and we won't even talk about the roller coaster we all went through with the wild fires around here recently); throwing in a flashback every now and then complete with the sense of absolute helplessness you felt as you watch your livelihood and your worldly possessions go, quite literally, up in smoke; and reminding you that you USED to have stuff--even though stuff isn't important, and you are so unbelievably grateful that you DIDN'T loose one of your babies, when you so easily could have, but dang it, even after all this time, the loss is still with you
every single day. Did i ever replace the staple gun? I so miss my pretty dishes. One of these days i'm gonna find another pair of tweezers that actually
tweeze like the ones i used to have. That kind of stupid stuff, that really isn't important, but none the less, is there, every single day. It is awful.
But here's the thing...
When you have an experience like this, you find out who your friends are. In fact, you find out that you have friends you never knew you had. And you are reminded that people ARE basically good, Anne.
Before the fire trucks arrived, a neighbor down the road that we knew to wave at, but had never really met, showed up to help, having heard the 911 call on a scanner. They scooped up my children and Jewels, and took them back to their house while i continued to try in vain to limit the damage and secure the animals, until the fire guys got there. When the trucks arrived, and i was only in the way, i went down to their house to check on the kids. By the time i got down there, the living room couch was piled high with clothes. The fire wasn't even under control, and everyone in the area was dropping off necessities.
Friends took us in that night, and the next morning, a local church gave us emergency cash to operate with. Another neighbor offered to help haul water for the animals. The lady at the feed store put up a donation jar, and helped us find someone to take in the goats while we found a place to be. Friends, relatives, and friends of friends and relatives all chipped in and helped us financially in the months to come. When we were ready to settle into a house again, my dad showed up with a trailer load of furniture, most of it donated by people i didn't even know, and the Best Friends Book Club held a "housewarming shower" for us.
The morning after, just to add insult to injury, my car broke down. Had it towed to the garage, was told that it would be at least a couple of days before they could get to it. I explained what had happened the night before, and asked if they could fast track it for me, for obvious reasons, and if i could get an estimate so i could find cash, as i suddenly no longer possessed credit cards or a checkbook. It was done by noon. The bill was $36 for a part. No labor, no towing. And he insisted that i put it on account, and deal with it later.
Jed had won a bid on a tool from ebay the day before the fire, and a few days after, got a message from the folks he bought if from, wanting payment. Jed apologized profusely, and explained what had happened, and that the tool had slipped his mind. He promptly sent them a check. In a couple of days, we got a box with the tool, our check, and a note, stating that they had been through the same thing before, and understood completely, and to accept the tool as a gift.
There is SO much more to this story, i could go on and on. We were so unbelievably blessed in the midst of all the devastation. Truly blessed. People were amazing.
And it wasn't just the friends, family, and community whose kindness stays with me.
I will never be able to say enough about the firefighters. Not just their skill and focus, but their hearts as well.
We lost The Pig, that night. I knew she didn't make it out of the house, so i knew what was coming. But none of them wanted to tell me, i could tell. I kept asking about her, and finally, when the worst of it was over, a couple of the guys brought her over to me. The were unbelievably respectful, and kind. Asked if i wanted them to dig a hole for her, and when i said yes, asked if i wanted them to find a box for her. I told them no, that dog was a grass roller, good earth was good enough. They were so...i just can't think of another adjective besides respectful, as they buried her. Not pitying or sappy. It was a dog, but they couldn't have buried a baby with more respect and consideration. It was something i will remember for the rest of my life.
There were eight trucks from three VFD's and the city. And something i never even thought of. One of the VFD's had a truck load of wives with ice, water and sandwiches. Of course! But i never thought about the men needing background assistance like that.
When it was over, the fire chief told me if we needed financial help, the fireman's relief fund was available, and that Red Cross would help with the starting over expenses. We were so blessed that we never had to ask for that help. And we had been uninsured. We were totally taken care of by our community and family.
A year later, another family we knew went through the same thing, and the next morning we showed up with cash and a carload of cleaning supplies and essentials. We can never repay all those that did for us, but i will never hesitate to pass on the kindness to others in need.
I am unable to express how strongly i believe that we are to take care of each other, not rely upon Uncle Sugar. Our experience proves that people are still willing to do just that, if left alone to do it.
Which brings us to how we got started on this story.
I got the following story through email under the subject "The Way We Do It In Texas...Texans don't need FEMA," and have no way to verify whether it is true or not, but personally, i have no problem believing it.
This is what the people in my world are like.
This is why i can't imagine living anywhere else BUT Texas.
Hats off to the firefighters and volunteers, and may our Creator continue to guide, protect, and bless them.
Regarding the presence or absence of government 'aid' for the fires in Texas, I am so proud to be a Texan! This was written by one of the volunteers and is an amazing story of the Texas Spirit!
Cynthia Thomas Hinson 5:31pm Sep 16
Here’s some stories you won’t hear about the Tri-county fire in Montgomery, Grimes, and Waller County the weeks following Labor Day, 2011. Although Kenna promises to write a book.
My neighbor across the road has a sister named Kenna. When she saw the huge column of smoke over our homes, she left a birthday party at my neighbor’s house to meet with her friend Tara at the Baseball complex in Magnolia. She called the owner of the complex and got permission to use the warehouse there as a staging area for donations for the fire fighting effort.
They put a notice out on facebook that they were going to be taking donations on their facebook pages. That night as they were setting up tables and organizing, News 2 Houston came by and saw the activity, investigated and left with the phone numbers and a list of suggested donations. The facebook notice propagated faster than the fire. By dawn they had 20 volunteers, bins, forklifts, and donations were pouring in. I stopped by with my pitiful little bags of nasal wash and eye wash, and was amazed.
There must have been 20 trucks in the lot, offloading cases of water, pallets of Gatorade , and people lined up out the door with sacks of beef jerky, baby wipes, underwear, socks, and you name it. School buses and trailers from many counties around were there offloading supplies, students forming living chains to pass stuff into the bins for transport to the command center and staging areas. If the firefighters had requested it, it was there. What do you give the guy out there fighting the fire that might engulf your home? Anything he or she wants. Including chewing tobacco and cigarettes.
Kenna moved on to the Unified Command Post at Magnolia West High school. She looked at what the fire fighters needed, and she made calls and set it up.
Mattress Mac donated 150 beds. Two class rooms turned into barracks kept quiet and dark for rest.
The CEO of HEB (local grocery store chain) donated 2 semi trailers full of supplies, and sent a mobile commercial kitchen at no charge to feed all the workers, but especially our firefighters, 3 hot meals a day.
An impromptu commissary was set up, anything the firefighters had requested available at no charge. As exhausted firefighters (most of them from local VFDs with no training or experience battling wildfires) and workers came into the school after long hours of hard labor, dehydrated, hungry, covered with soot and ash, they got what they needed. They were directed through the commissary, where they got soap, eye wash and nasal spray, candy, clean socks and underwear, and then were sent off to the school locker rooms for a shower. HEB then fed them a hot meal and they got 8 hours sleep in a barracks, then another hot meal, another pass through the commissary for supplies to carry with them out to lines, including gloves, safety glasses, dust masks and snacks, and back they went.
One of the imported crew from California came into Unified Command and asked where the FEMA Powerbars and water were. He was escorted to the commissary and started through the system. He was flabbergasted. He said FEMA never did it like this. Kenna replied, ”Well, this is the way we do it in Texas.”
Fire fighting equipment needed repair? The auto shop at the High School ran 24/7 with local mechanics volunteering, students, and the firefighters fixing the equipment. Down one side of the school, the water tankers lined up at the fire hydrants and filled with water. Down the other side there was a steady parade of gasoline tankers filling trucks, dozers, tankers, cans, chain saws, and vehicles.
Mind you, all of this was set up by 2 Moms, Kenna and Tara, with a staff of 20 simple volunteers, most of them women who had sons, daughters, husbands, and friends on the fire lines. Someone always knew someone who could get what they needed- beds, mechanics, food, space. Local people using local connections to mobilize local resources made this happen. No government aid. No Trained Expert.
At one point the fire was less than a mile from the school, and everyone but hose volunteers were evacuated. The fire was turned. The Red Cross came in, looked at what they were doing, and quietly went away to set up a fire victim relief center nearby. They said theycouldn’t do it any better.
Then FEMA came in and told those volunteers and Kenna that they had to leave, FEMA was here now. Kenna told them she worked for the firefighters, not them. They were obnoxious, bossy, got in the way, and criticized everything. The volunteers refused to back down and kept doing their job, and doing it well. Next FEMA said the HEB supplies and kitchen had to go, that was blatant commercialism. Kenna said they stayed. They stayed. FEMA threw a wall eyed fit about chewing tobacco and cigarettes being available in the commissary area. Kenna told them the firefighters had requested it, and it was staying. It stayed. FEMA got very nasty and kept asking what organization these volunteers belonged to- and all the volunteers told them “Our community”. (do i get to say anything about a gov-agncy that will deny a hero a cigarette, but only feed him power bars and water?)
FEMA didn’t like that and demanded they make up a name for themselves. One mother remarked “They got me at my boiling point!” and suddenly the group was “212 Degrees”. FEMA’s contribution? They came in the next day with red shirts embroidered with “212 Degrees”, insisting the volunteers had to be identified, never realizing it was a slap in their face. Your tax dollars at work - labeling volunteers with useless shirts and getting in the way.
The upshot? A fire that the experts from California (for whom we are so grateful there are no words) said would take 2-3 weeks to get under control was 100% contained in 8 days. There was so much equipment and supplies donated, 3 container trucks are loaded with the excess to go and set up a similar relief center for the fire fighters in Bastrop.
The local relief agencies have asked people to stop bringing in donations of clothing, food, household items, and pretty much everything else because they only have 60 displaced households to care for, and there is enough to supply hundreds. Again, excess is going to be shipped to Bastrop, where there are 1500 displaced households. Wish we could send Kenna, too, but she has to go back to her regular job.
And that’s the way we do it in Texas!!!
