My house burned down today...

I'm 19 and living at home with the folks. I was in my A+ class today when my girlfriend showed up to tell me that my house had burned down.

So I raced home in record time to find my house in ash. It seems that the fire started in the fireplace and spread up the wall to the attic. Nothing in my room was spared.

The firemen did manage to get most of our pictures and some really old furniture from my mother's room, but other than that and a new bag of toilet paper(which was left untouched...) there is nothing left.

My mother and step dad were both fine. My mom had gone to pick up a friend who's car had broken down. She was gone for thirty minutes. She actually knew when she saw the firetrucks going by, so she never made it to pick her friend up.

Our family is devasted by the fire. My mother's two dogs were trapped in the house and weren't found.

It get's worse. My mom doesn't have home owner's insurance. She got her house payed off about five years ago but never got insurance. The main reason is because they just couldn't afford it.

While I do find it overwhelming and seemingly hopeless, I know that there will be good to come of this. After sorting through the remains I went to Wal-Mart(I have worked there for two years now), and informed them. They had already known, however, because our neighbor had called looking for me. The store manager told me to pick up any of the things that we need, free of charge. This includes clothes, toiletries, food, whatever. For that, I will always be in his debt. Also, there is a Wal-Mart disaster relied fund for associates, and I am hoping that they can help us out.

Because my mother had helped so many people, I doubt that we will be lacking in support to rebuild. She has given more people a place to stay, or live than I care to count.

I hope to learn from this experience. Life is short and not to be taken for granted. I apologize for my ranting, but I had to vent somewhere. There's only so much crying a person can do, now it's time to heal. Though we have our moments of weakness, I know that what doesn't kill me only makes me stronger. I look forward to helping my mother and stepdad rebuild not only their house but their lives.

Please keep my family in your prayers.

-James

Very sorry to hear this James.

You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers....

-David

James - My sincere condolences to you and your family. Prayers and good thoughts to you. Faith is a powerful thing, and it sounds as though you have a lot of it. Stay strong and remember if He brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

That's terrible to hear. Good luck and I'm glad your family is safe.

Good on Wal-Mart for taking care of their own.

that really really ****ing sucks dude. im especially sorry to hear about the pups man. jesus ****.

be strong for your mom and keep us posted on how your doing. this might sound really lame, but as soon as you have access to a dvd player rent commedies. ill even personally spring for a 2 month block buster pass if you promise to use it. it might sound dumb but a funny movie can help more than you'd think. it wont be easy to make the time to watch them, but it will be worth your while if you do.

im not joking about the block buster card either. i know there's a hundred other things you need more, but i feel strongly about this. just pm or email me with an address once you get settled in with a buddy or a family member and we'll figure the rest out.

Thanks for your support guys. I really need it right now.

Thanks to you GDA especially for offering to help someone you don't even know. It shows your true colors. And I may just take you up on your offer sometime soon.:)

don't hesitate.

whoever said laughter is the best medicine knew a thing or two about misery.

James C,

My condolences. it really sucks to have to re-start your lives all over again.
but you can look at this experience as a good sign. maybe it was meant to be and that something is going to change for you. look at it as a sign.

you are right when you say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I too, am a suvivor. I lost my mother when i was a young boy, younger brother almost killed in a car accident, older brother almost killed by the streets, father gave us up into the foster care system, i fell 50 feet and broke my back and was paralyzed from the waist down for a while, and now i'm back to my gung fu and doing pretty well.

so what i'm trying to say is that keep up the faith that everything will be alright. never let it beat you. before you know it you will be passed this and you'll look back on it and say it wasn't that bad. things look rough now, but in no time all will be right again.

Just never give up.


HSK

how are things going man?

I'm doing good. I have recovered from the initial shock, though my mother hasn't. It will take her a while, but I think she'll be fine.

I had three Gordon Liu movies and the first two UFC's at my gf's house that I found today. Man was I happy. I had about fifty martial arts movies at home that were lost in the fire.

I also had about thirty books, a brand new LCD tv, gamecube(I was waiting for Zelda, I swear:p ), three sword sets, an original painting, a computer, two pairs of chucks...a martial arts tournament first place trophy.

I had a lot of stuff in that room. But that's just what it was, stuff. I can buy new stuff.

So i'll probably end up quitting martial arts practice for a while in order to help my mother raise funds. Either that or just move to one that is cheaper until we are back on our feet.

We have heard that Habitat for Humanity might be helping us out. They are searching for a lot right now. We haven't told our mother yet however, because we don't want to get her hopes up.

Thanks for your concern GDA, it means a lot. I'll be on a lot for the next few days because I am snowed in at my GF's house and my mother is snowed in about an hour away from us. So this is about all I can do.:rolleyes:

Sorry to hear that! When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

May God bless all of you.

Best wishes
khoo

Hoping and Praying for you and your family.