Sunday, January 5, 2014

She's okay, but …

her home, its contents and her car are total losses.

My co-volunteer for the Tuesday night meeting at the prison just called to let me know her house burned to the ground last week. I've been in her home one time, probably four years ago, and I still describe it to people, as it was filled with antiques and memorabilia.

All of it lost.

My friend is a musician. All her music, her violin, all the busts of Beethoven that filled the nooks and crannies of the house. All gone.

She's an animal lover. Her dog is okay, and her horses, but she can't find the cats.

She lost her mother several years ago, and her father just last year. All the photos … gone.

All her clothing. Her identity. Her books.

Gone.

I'm at a loss for words.

But I do know where two too-big-for-me sweaters will be going. I just wish it were for a different reason.

5 comments:

Shauna said...

Oh no... that is so heartbreaking :(

Vickie said...

I live in fear (not constant fear, but aware fear) of that very thing because our house is filled to the brim with family pieces. I am so sad for her.

Unknown said...

That's terrible -- I hope that she finds the cats, though it doesn't seem hopeful. Glad she was okay and was able to save her dog and horses.

Her identity is not in the stuff, but the stuff is a great loss nonetheless. My family had a big fire when I was away at college. They did not have all the kinds of things your friend lost, but it was still very traumatic and a hassle to replace all the replaceable things. Some family photos survived, which was a blessing. The donations of clothes and other household stuff from family and friends helped them a lot while they got their insurance claim filed. They got so tired of shopping for every little thing they needed, too.

I hope that her friends and family will be able to share photos with her of her parents and family. If you know them, that would be a nice thing to help arrange.

Debbi said...

By identity I mean literally ... Social Security, credit cards, drivers license.

Unknown said...

Ah, okay. Some people really do think their identity is in the stuff, and it sounds like she had a lot of well-loved possessions.

I hope she's doing okay and has a warm place to stay.

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