CONTINUING WITH THE HOUSE

AFTER WE GOT THE ROOF ON, WE WERE ABLE TO CONTINUE QUITE QUICKLY WITH THE REST OF THE HOUSE. I TOLD YOU WE BUILT UP, BUT THERE WERE OTHER IMPROVEMENTS TO BE MADE AS WELL. ONE DAY, ON THE FRONT PORCH, MARTIN AND I WERE TUSSLING WITH THE CHILDREN. I GAVE HIM A SHOVE, AND HIS HAND WENT RIGHT THROUGH THE SIDING! WHEN HE LOOKED IN THE HOLE, HE TOLD ME WE HAD TERMITES. "UH, WHAT DO TERMITES LOOK LIKE?" I ASKED. HE TOLD ME THAT THEY LOOKED LIKE ANTS WITH WINGS. I SUPPOSED THAT IT WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO TELL HIM THAT WE HAD LOTS OF ANTS WITH WINGS, I SAW THEM ALL THE TIME. I JUST THOUGHT THEY WERE ANTS WITH WINGS. "REALLY?" HE ASKED. "AND HOW LONG HAVE YOU NOTICED THESE "ANTS WITH WINGS?" OH, FOR A FEW YEARS I GUESS, I TOLD HIM. I TRULY DID NOT KNOW THAT THEY WERE TERMITES, I MEAN, HOW COULD I HAVE KNOWN? ANYWAY, THE WHOLE FRONT OF THE HOUSE WAS EATEN AWAY UNDER THE SIDING. SO, WE DECIDED TO ENLARGE THE LIVING ROOM SINCE WE HAD TO BUILD A NEW WALL ANYWAY. THEN, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO REPLACE THE FLOOR IN THE BATHROOM. I WAS TIRED OF STEPPING AROUND THE HOLE IN FRONT OF THE TUB ANYWAY. (I GUESS THOSE TERMITES WERE HAVING A BIGGER PARTY THAN WE THOUGHT!) SO, ALL IN ALL, WE ENLARGED THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE, REPAIRED THE BATHROOM, CARPETED THE HOUSE, PUT IN AIR CONDITIONING AND HEATING, AND ON AND ON. IT WAS A NEVER ENDING PROCESS. FINALLY, SEVERAL YEARS AFTER WE STARTED, WE INVITED MARTIN'S DAD AND LOLA TO COME OVER AND HELP US FINISH THE LAST OF THE WORK. I HAD TAKEN BOBBIE JO TO SCHOOL TO PLAY BASKETBALL AND IT WAS EARLY ON A SATURDAY MORNING. IT WAS THE 10TH OF DECEMBER AND THE CHILDREN WERE EXCITED TO GO CHRISTMAS SHOPPING. I TOLD THEM TO BE READY WHEN I GOT BACK. AS I DROVE UP IN THE DRIVEWAY, I SAID A LITTLE PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING FOR ALL THE BLESSINGS I HAD. AS I SAID AMEN, AND OPENED MY EYES, I NOTICED THE STRANGEST THING. SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF THE EVES UNDER THE NEW ROOF. SMOKE! LOTS OF IT! JIMENY CRICKET, THE HOUSE WAS ON FIRE! THE CHILDREN CAME POURING OUT OF THE HOUSE, ALL EXCEPT FOR BECKY. JESSICA SAW THAT BECKY HAD NOT COME OUT AND WENT DASHING BACK IN BEFORE I COULD STOP HER. SHE RAN UP THE STAIRS THAT WERE NOW FILLED WITH BLACK SMOKE AND FOUND BECKY SITTING ON HER BED, WAITING FOR THE FIREMEN TO COME. JESSICA GRABBED HER AND THEY CRAWLED DOWN THE STAIRS AND OUT THE DOOR. BY NOW, MARTIN WAS AWARE OF THE FIRE AND RAN FOR A LADDER. HE CLIMBED UP ON THE ROOF AND BANGED A HOLE TO LET OUT THE SMOKE. (YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT, THE ROOF I GOT STUCK ON). I WAS YELLING AT HIM TO COME DOWN, BUT HE JUST CALLED FOR A GARDEN HOSE AND WATER. ALL I COULD DO WAS COUNT MY CHILDREN. FINALLY, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME, AND THE WORK BEGAN. I AM NOT SURE HOW LONG IT TOOK, BECAUSE POOR JESSICA WAS GASPING FOR AIR AND STARTED TO PASS OUT. WE HAD TO RUSH HER TO THE HOSPITAL FOR SMOKE INHALATION. MARTIN STAYED WITH THE FIREMEN AND HELPED WHERE HE COULD, BUT THE ENTIRE SECOND STORY WAS A TOTAL LOSS. THE ENTIRE FIRST STORY WAS RUINED BY WATER. THE CHRISTMAS PRESENTS AND TREE WERE RUINED. ALL OF OUR CLOTHES, FURNITURE AND EVERYTHING WERE RUINED OR GONE. NONE OF IT MATTERED, THE FAMILY WAS SAFE. IMAGINE BOBBIE JO'S REACTION WHEN SHE CAME HOME TO FIND WHAT HAD HAPPENED. THE FIRE MARSHAL SAID THE FIRE WAS CAUSED BY A FAULTY ELECTRIC OUTLET. BUT, WE LATER FOUND OUT THAT THE LITTLE BOY THAT HAD SPENT THE NIGHT WITH LITTLE OTTO HAD SET THE FIRE IN ONE OF THE BEDROOMS. HE WAS AN ARSONIST, AND WHEN FINALLY CAUGHT IN ONE OF THE FIRES HE SET, ADMITTED HOW MANY, (OVER 50) AND THAT HE HAD STARTED THE FIRE AT OUR HOUSE. IMAGINE, POOR MARTIN WAS BANGING IN THE LAST NAIL AND THEN WE WERE GOING TO CELEBRATE THE FINISHING OF THE HOUSE WHEN THE FIRE STARTED. ALL WE HAD WERE THE CLOTHES ON OUR BACKS. LOOKING BACK, AGAIN I HAD MORE COURAGE THAN SENSE, AND WE JUST GOT ON WITH OUR LIVES. I REFUSED TO ADMIT THAT WE WERE BEATEN. WHEN I TOURED THE DAMAGE, SOME OF THE BRETHEREN OF THE CHURCH TRIED TO SUPPORT ME SO I WOULDN'T COLLAPSE FROM SHOCK. I SHOOK THEM OFF AND JUST WENT PLOWING THROUGH THE MESS. I HAD TO BE STRONG, OR I WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO HELP MY FAMILY. WE FOUND A LITTLE HOUSE TO RENT, AND THE COMMUNTY AND THE MEMBERS OF THE BUS BARN AND THE CHURCH GAVE US A SPLENDID CHRISTMAS. SO MANY BLESSINGS CAME FROM THAT FIRE, AND ONCE AGAIN WE WERE SHOWN THAT WE COULD MAKE IT NO MATTER WHAT. SO, ALL OF OUR CONSTRUCTION WAS GONE, BUT WE HAD INSURANCE, SO EVENTUALLY WE STARTED OVER YET AGAIN. WE MOVED BACK IN JUST 6 MONTHS LATER, HAVING DONE THE WORK MOSTLY BY OURSELVES, BUT BEING SMART ENOUGH TO HIRE SOME HELP FOR THE REALLY BIG STUFF. YOU KNOW, THAT FIRE WAS JUST THE BEGINNING OF SOME HUGE TRIALS TO COME OUR WAY. LITTLE OTTO WAS STILL WITH US, AND OF COURSE WE DID NOT KNOW THAT WE HAD SO LITTLE TIME WITH HIM. MARTIN LOST HIS JOB AT THE POST OFFICE AFTER 13 YEARS, AND PLENTY OF OTHER STUFF WAS WAITING IN THE WINGS TO CHALLENGE OUR FAMILY AND MY FAITH. I WILL TELL YOU MORE LATER, TILL TOMORROW, LOVE, NANASEE