Life's Little Warnings

My heart is still palpitating with adrenaline from 'what could have been' ... but wasn't.

It's a little bit ironic, because I was just telling my son about the 'crimes of opportunity' that have happened in and around our home over the course of time. It seems that if you put things away and lock them up, your belongings are safe.

As I ran through the list of things stolen (mostly from our guests!), there were unlocked doors involved. In only one case, was there actually a break-in (on second thought, make that two).

I have come to feel like my home has a protective bubble over it. I feel safe and protected. When I get thinking about it, I like to think that we are surrounded by angels that watch over us and keep us from harms way.

Fast forward to this morning ...

The signs were there, but I was a disbeliever. The (walk-in) garage door was ajar ... spray cans of paint were neatly taken out of the cupboard and lined up on the floor ... the back gate was ajar. I assumed that my son had been in the garage looking for something, then got sidetracked and forgot to close things up. He's done it before. The gate doesn't latch properly ... it's not unusual for it to be open.

But then ...

The playhouse door was ajar too. Now that is out of the ordinary.

The first thing I smelled when I walked in the door was fire. Posters that had been on the wall were burned; the wall was scorched; some toys were melted and the fringe on one of the cushions for the lawn swing had been burned. Then my heart started to pound.

My first thought was 'THANK YOU'!! It could have been so much worse. Had the playhouse started burning in earnest, the garage (and my car) would have been quite literally up in smoke. I didn't even think about the house. It wasn't until the police officer mentioned the close proximity of the house to the garage ... that by the time anyone noticed, the house could have started on fire too.

I am so, so grateful for this little wake up call. Was the garage locked last night? No. But my car was (no damage what so ever there). Was the playhouse locked? Never. It will be, from now on. Was the house locked and the alarm set? You betcha.

Locks are in place and a call to the security company to look into putting an alarm on the garage is on the agenda (when they open).

I'm not ignoring this little warning. It could have been so much worse. I have the opportunity to be (a little) proactive.

I love when life gives you a little 'shake' to alert you to the potential of things that could go awry. If you ignore that, the next time could be the real tragedy. It happens to me all of the time.

P.S. Just a light note to add, to add a little levity to this post.

As the police officer was leaving, he was commenting on the play house. He said, "You must have it for your grand children ..." Grand children? Could be ... but what that comment really, really told me is that I'm looking my age these days. Take that and enjoy, big sisters!! I'm catching up with you now!