Our Hangout

Ever wonder what God spares you from?

You've seen the video of the snowy fun we had last Thursday and Friday. Now let me tell you about the other side of things that left us freaked out and saying "Thank you God!"

Late Friday, after a day without electricity, heat, and hot water. As well as a flooding basement and a leaking bathroom. I decided that if the electricity didn't return by the evening we'd travel to Mississauga and stay at my mom's.

Early evening I headed out to deliver a meal to someone who's been recovering from surgery. Just as a I walked back in the house, the electricity came on. Still, it had just started to snow again, so I told Vania we were going anyway, not really trusting that the electricity would remain on.

And so I began packing the van. Our living room was filled with burning candles as we were using them for light and heat, it had worked pretty well throughout the day.

Ok, by this time the electricity's been on for about 25 minutes. At this point Vania decided to check the basement to find out how high the water had come up. What she didn't expect was to met by a wall of GAS.

When the electricity came on, it turned on the Gas boiler and the water heater. However, since both pilot lights had been put out when the water flooded the basement, when the appliances came on they started filling the space with GAS.

Vania closed the door, screamed (really, she did) for the kids to leave the house, we then both screamed, "the candles", ran into the living room and blew out the candles as quickly as we could. Vania rushed outside and I went downstairs to turn off the gas, but as I began to do so, Vania screams, "there's a candle in the bathroom!" That would be the room right beside the door to the basement. I ran back up, and blew that out. All I can hear at this point is my heart pounding!

Ok, long story short, I was able to turn off the gas, and we left for Mississauga immediately.

We were pretty shaken as we didn't really talk about it for about half an hour. The only thing that kept going through my mind was what could have been.

What would we be thankful for if we could see all the things that God spared us from?

Ok, this is an aside, for fire prevention week, Xanda had to prepare an evacuation plan in case of an emergency. Her plan, everyone has to go to the girls bedroom, dad breaks one of the windows, jumps out first and then catches all the rest of the family. The window is almost 20feet up.

So, when I finally get in the car, and after the girls stop crying because they thought their toys were going to go up in smoke, Xanda is upset. She's upset because we didn't follow her evacuation plan.

You try and explain to your six year old that if you're near a door that's the better way out than her well thought out and crafted plan. She never did agree with our decision making.

Posted by ed