Thursday, August 27, 2009

Trouble Comes In Threes So Please Be Prepared

It is true that trouble comes in threes and last weekend provided ample evidence of this for me. The thoughts of what could have been weigh on my mind when I think about a fire we had Saturday night.

We were hosting two other couples for dinner and I was seated at the outdoor table with our guests while my husband was in the kitchen. I looked up and saw flames shooting out from the camp stove that we had set up on a table next to the grill and outside our kitchen window. Our camp stove, (which we were using to deep fry french fries to go with our grilled steaks), had flames at the bottle/stove connection and it caught two other small propane bottles on fire. Suddenly, I was in front of the stove and for a split second I reached over as if to put the fire out with my hands. I then reached underneath our gas grill and grabbed our fire extinguisher I had just put there the Week Before after reading a Be Prepared post from a dear blogger friend, An Eagle's View. I put out the fire immediately with the extinguisher without ruining any of our dinner. Somehow during this process and for the life of me, I don't know how or when this happened, but the two quarts of boiling oil with french fries ended up on our patio deck. Also, a foot sized oil stain on the outer side of my right jean leg. I am still processing how lucky I am, we are. I then proceeded to get clean cat litter and use it to soak up the oil spill and then we served our beautiful dinner. It's surreal to me, small seemingly meaningless circumstances, me wearing jeans, putting a fire extinguisher under the grill, keeping calm, all helped truly avert disaster. Truly incredible in the sense it boggles believability. To say I am thankful and appreciative is a major understatement. It is also helping me maintain perspective and reminds me what is really important as I struggle with the challenges of parenting teen sons. It also confirmed what I thought earlier about my loved ones and Angels looking out for me and all of us. I recently completed a family necklace with the birthstone colors of my family and Saturday night was the first night I wore it. I take it as a very good talisman. I think if I was a cat I would have definitely used up a couple of lives.

Thank you for listening, being here. Deep Breathes, for the real stuff versus the what could have been, but isn't.

What is synchronicity but like the one drop of water that tips over the bucket? Or the one additional blog post to stimulate a thought, and then an action. Thanks, E.V., you remind me, we are all connected.

12 comments:

Lori Lavender Luz said...

Wow. How harrowing. I can only imagine how this was for you.

So glad your angels were at attention.

Hugs, Martha.

areyoukiddingme said...

Phew! That is a lot of almost disaster - and you still got to eat your wonderful dinner!

My angels that are supposed to be watching out for me are my family members who are no longer here. My mom always says that my dad is riding on the hood of her car (God knows, she needs something!).

Mrs. Spit said...

I am so thankful that you are all ok. That could have been terrible!

(now going to check the fire extinguisher in the back porch)

Me (aka Danielle) said...

{hugs} I am so glad that things turned out the way they did!

Heather said...

Wow! I'm glad you are OK. Love the new look to your blog.

Randi Troxell said...

my goodness... i'm am so glad that you guys and your house was ok... you are right.. it could have been horrible... so glad it turned out ok.

have a great wkend!

Stephanie said...

My goodness...scary and lucky.
So glad all the stars aligned and you are safe (and were wearing those jeans!)

Kim said...

Wow, so glad you are OK. And dinner was unharmed - what a mircle. I've just been reading and catching up. Your boys go back to school early - we don't start until next week. And may I bow to the Queen of the Nuggets.

rachaelgking said...

The cat litter is BRILLIANT. At least you were resourceful! Glad it's okay.

Sunny said...

Wow, that really is amazing. I'm so glad you are okay! There are probably more near-misses in our lives than we care to know. :/

PS ..."challenges of raising teen sons." There are challenges with raising boys? Crap, I thought I had been spared. :)

Leslie said...

Scareeeeey! Glad you averted a real disaster and dinner was saved!

Martha said...

I am so glad you and everyone else are all ok - how scary! I'm so thankful the angels were there watching over you! *Big Hugs*