After reading the post on one our own Melissa Grant - ActiveRain member who just had a fire I remembered my friend Penny. It must have been about 20 years ago. I remember how Penny was after the fire. Thank God everyone got out but all the emotions a person goes through when you are struck like this.
The day after Christmas the heating system in their home caused a fire. At the time there were j10 children at home. They had just celebrated Christmas and so all their presents were lost. The good news is that their home was rebuilt by friends in various trades. No one was harmed. Penny sang and played the guitar like an angel. The guitar was not touched by the fire nor was her bible. The Flately Company put them up in a hotel for a while and during the time their home was being re-built they lived in 2 trailors on the front lawn. The girls were in one trailor and the boys were in the other.
Penny and John were married for the second time. John's wife died of cancer and her request was that Penny sing at her funeral. Some time after John lost his wife they began to talk to each other. Penny had 8 children and John had 6 children. Penny's first marriage broke up due to alcoholism and life was not easy for a single mom with 8 children. John and Penny got married and some time later took in 4 foster children before the fire.
I missed he blizzard of 1978 but Penny didn't. At the time her husband John was head of the DPW for the state of Massachusetts and he was flying around in a helicopter while Penny was waving a dish cloth to get his attention with all these children she was caring for. She tells the story with a lot of humor. They are just wonderful people who have gone through a lot but have risen above the ashes of their lives and blessed many.
While they were dating they heard of a auction on this very house that burned down. It was an english tudor and it sat on 3 acres of land. This home was large enough to have 2 weddings. Well the long and the short of it is that they bid $65,000 and they got it. When the fire happened it was worth about $1,000,000 and they were not insured for that amount. The fact that so many friends came and re-built their home was beyond being a blessing, the Flately Company was incredible. There was also a fund set up for them.
They still live in that beautiful home and it has been a blessing to many. Penny is nursing now and her husband is still managing a town of Norwood. They have opened their home to so many, myself included and I have many fond memories of being there.
Pat Baker, Realtor Associate with coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Needham, MA www.patannbaker.com
Selling real estate in Needham, Wellesley, Weston, Dover, Dedham, Natick, South Natick, Holliston, Sherborn, Westwood, & Holliston
;)
Links;)
Tags (Tag Cloud);)
Archives
What a beautiful story Pat, thanks so much for sharing it. I was driving home from the grocery store yesterday as one fire engine after another passed me by...as I turned onto anther street there were the fire engines (5 in total) putting out a house fire. I thought of Melissa at that time as I had just read her story that day or the day before. I wondered about the family and how they will survive a catastrophe like this. There but for the grace of God go us. 
