A House Is Not A Home

After taking some time to wrap my head around the recent events in my life, and my family’s lives. I have been able to reflect on such events...so here goes nothing.

On February 3rd around 5:30AM, I received a phone call from my neighbors in Memphis that they probably didn’t want to make, and I definitely didn’t want to receive.

“Bridgett, I know you’re probably asleep right now, and I don’t want to be the one to tell you this, but your house is engulfed in flames. Like we can barely see it.”

Definitely not the ideal wake up call. I was trying to wrap my head around the thought of losing everything, because I am a materialistic person, I’ll admit it. I immediately assumed that the dog was gone. When they called back to see if anyone was home, I told them about our dog who was probably in the backyard and he somehow became the hulk and is okay. Don’t worry.

Meanwhile, my parents were asleep in the middle of the ocean trying to enjoy their vacation. I had to relay the news to my sister who soon became the angel child for getting everything taken care of - insurance, finding a safe place for valuable things, boarding up the house, giving my parents a place to stay, etc. This is something that you think happens to other people but you never expect it to happen to yourself or your family. For hours after initially finding out about the situation, I sat and waited for anything to come my way. I had no idea how bad it was, I didn’t know if my parents found out, I knew nothing. Those were possibly the most miserable hours of my life. Half the day went by when I got a text from my mom. How do moms do the thing where the seem so put together?

“Hey Bridge. Everything is going to be okay. Everyone is okay. Just start making a list of things that were in your room. We have insurance for a reason. Everything will be fine. Love you.”

I felt awful. My parents were simply trying to relax and now their vacation was ruined. Can you imagine leaving your home and all of the things you owned one day to come back to it being gone? That’s what happened, essentially.

The thought kept coming back and I was trying so hard to push it away, “Why God? Why us? Why now? Can you give us a break?” I felt terrible for thinking it. But after thinking about it, I realized that this has been one heck of a humbling experience. When I got the pictures of the house (below) I thought about how it could have been so much worse, but I kept grasping onto the fact that everyone in my family was safe, even the dog. If my parents were home when it happened, who knows what the outcomes may have been. This whole experience is far from over but it has already taught me so much. One thing, fires are weird. The things they destroy and don't and how it happens and how quickly, my goodness. Things are simply things, they can be replaced and lives cannot. Most importantly, I learned that it isn’t at all about what you come home to, it’s about who you come to. I held onto that thought the entire drive from Chattanooga to Memphis having no clue what I was about to walk into. I have been reminded that my parents are two of the strongest people that I will ever know. As they manage to pick up the pieces, go on with their regular lives, and prepare to build from the ground up. I have been reminded about how thankful I am to have such supportive and caring people in my life. Delta Zeta, words surpass me. I will never be able to thank each of you enough. My sisters took the little information I provided them with and created a GoFundMe page (linked) for my family during this time. Did they have to do that? No. Would I have told them not to do it if I knew about it? Certainly. Am I so incredibly thankful that they did it anyway? Of course. They have given me shoulders to cry on, things to eat, and constant company.

I still find myself struggling to wrap my head around what happened. The only house that I have ever known will never be the same. The memories that we have from the place will still remain. The things that were in the house can be replaced. But thankfully my family has been able to lean on each other during such a trying time of life. We may have lost a lot of stuff, but we still have each other - I couldn’t ask for anything else. We can only go up from here, and that’s what we plan to do. I speak for my family when I say that we are so incredibly thankful for all of the prayers, food, and everything else that we have received during this time. I wish I could go through and thank every person. I think my neighbors deserve a special thanks for calling the fire department when they did, for calling me, for helping my sister get everything together. I will forever be thankful for my sister and how strong she was while all of this was going on. Thank you, Raven, for giving mom and dad a place to stay, food to eat, clothes to wear, and giving them the support that they need. You deserve the #1 child award. Mom and dad, I am at a lack of words to describe how strong you two have been throughout this literal mess. Thank you for looking forward, thank you for having insurance, thank you for always doing what’s best for our family. Thank you for being the best parents that a child could ask for. Keep on pushing. Call me when it’s time to pick out curtains!