It was not exactly the way we wanted to end the old year or the first decade of the century. While we had no reservations for dinner theater or any of the available New Year’s Eve galas across the country, this still was not an opportunity we sought out. The good news is that our renter escaped without physical harm.

She came home from working her night shift, obviously too tired to make good decisions. The first bad one in the series was the one to put a pan of grease on the stove in order to cook French fries. The worse one was choosing to lie down for a while, while the grease heated up. It was on fire when she woke up. Had the fire department arrived just a few minutes later, the entire building would have been in flames.

And so it was that she ended the year loosing virtually every possession that she had acquired. Between the fire, the heat and the smoke, nearly every article of clothing, every picture of family, every little thing she owned was either destroyed or ruined. As for us, we have the opportunity to remodel the apartment and are discovering the subtle nuances of city codes, “insurance gaps,” and fire restoration. We celebrated New Year’s Day by rigging alternative power to the furnace and replacing insulation under the bathroom. Not a minute too soon, either; it is fourteen below zero this morning in Saint Joe, Missouri.

The good news is that my brother, Paul, flew out from Ohio Sunday to help us for a few days. It is the first time he and I have worked together since we were grown. Even in the midst of trial, tragedy or just plain ole aggravation, there is blessing.

This is one that I treasure.

H. Arnett
1/05/10