Lessons Revisted and Vocabulary Extension

I remember when I was younger being asked that rhetorical question 'If your house were on fire, what would you grab if you only had a few moments to get out?'. Well, last week I answered that question for myself. Our house was not on fire but the fires did come awfully close!

I had packed up clothes for myself and the kids along with a few necessities the night before, just in case we had to evacuate in the night. It was a good thing I did, for when it came time to leave I only had to grab a few things and was able to do so without panic or scaring the kids. What did I take? I made sure to pack our wedding album and one other photo book, the camera, and a few pieces of jewelry. It was weird though. Right before I left the house I was standing in our bedroom trying to think of anything else that I'd not want to leave behind. I could not think of anything. I prayed that the Lord would bring to mind anything that I'd regret not taking. Again, nothing came to mind. So I walked out the back door and closed it behind me. And I had no regrets. This just confirms to me that I was not holding onto the things of this world more tightly than I should. We have stuff, but that's all it is, just stuff and junk, and completely replaceable. I had what was most important, my family.

My kids, I think, learned something else entirely. They learned a new word. And not just an arbitrary word, but more importantly what it means. I think, if asked, they could use it properly in a sentence.

The word?

Evacuation.

My cousin and her husband graciously opened their home to us while we were evacuated. It was so nice to have a place to go to and not have to join the masses in some outdoor refugee camp. The kids enjoyed it too, maybe a little too much. They had fun playing with new things at their home and watching new videos. In fact, they keep asking if we can be evacuated again! See, I told you they knew the full meaning of the word!

In the end, we only had to stay there one day/night and were able to return the next day. The Lord was gracious to us in what we had to go through (which really wasn't much at all considering what happened just 2 miles from our house). I am grateful to the Lord for his protection and provision for our family. For that is the most important thing right now, that our family is safe and whole. That's all that matters. The rest is just stuff and junk.