Close Call

I had a close call tonight. My heart is still pounding. I was sitting in the family room with the dogs and the bunny. I had one dog curled up on my lap and one dog that was curled up on the floor at my feet. The fire was going strong and all was quiet and comfortable. Life was good.

Suddenly, there was an explosion and shrapnel was raining past me, the dog yelped and ran to the other end of the house. I hit the floor for cover. All I could think of was that a stray bullet had come through the patio doors. When I was brave enough to raise my head the doors were intact. I couldn’t get clear in my mind from which direction the flash and explosion had come from. I shakily got to my feet feeling rather foolish and began to slowly walk around the room searching. I began to find pieces of plastic and metal. Some embedded in the couch and in the carpet others just laying around the room. It just made me a lot more confused. I couldn’t make sense of the tiny melted twisted pieces I was finding. Then I found a large twisted piece of metal and wires on the hearth by the pellet stove. I tried to pick it up but it was still too hot. I stood there and gingerly poked it a few times as I realized what it had been. It was my “clicker”, the long handled lighter that I light the pellet stove with. I had left it on the hearth next to the stove and it had gotten too hot and had exploded.

When I realized what had happened it began to dawn on me just how blessed we were. I often sit on the end of the couch by the stove but I had moved to the other end of the room where it was a bit cooler. The dogs are usually curled up by the stove and they had both moved with me. The bunny had been behind the stove and had been protected by the bulk of the stove. None of us were injured. My couch was not quite that lucky. It was the only causality but in honesty it had seen better days even before the explosion.

I realize that God’s providence went before us protecting us when we did not know we needed to be protected. I am very grateful and a bit humbled at His protective hand. Now if I can just coax my sheepdog out from under the bed and convince her that all is well.

“Let them know that it is your hand, that you, O LORD, have done it.” Psalm 109:27

Just Connie