I took a peek at Facebook on my lunch break yesterday and saw that my mother-in-law had shared a photo of some sort of explosion in a movie.
Upon further examination, however, I discovered that, no, that was not a Hollywood scene. It was actually my in-laws’ now-crispy Gator engulfed in flames at the end of their long country driveway.
It turns out that my MIL had been out toodling around the neighborhood in the Gator when it inexplicably stopped. When she couldn’t get it to restart, she hopped out and walked home. Shortly thereafter, neighbors called to let her know that the Gator was engulfed in flames. It spontaneously combusted for reasons that are still unknown.
My mother-in-law’s normal habit is to park the Gator next to their car in the garage, which is in the basement of their log home. So if the fire had happened any earlier or later, there is the real chance that my in-laws’ house would now be a pile of smoking rubble.
And if this had happened, there’s the very real chance that my mother-in-law would not have been able to get herself and my father-in-law, who has advanced Parkinson’s disease and is also largely blind, out of the house to safety.
I have so many what ifs running through my mind. What if, what if, what if.
So throughout today, as I went about my work and life, I found myself sending up prayer after prayer to the universe in deep gratitude and thanks that so many of the what ifs did not actually occur.
Tell me: What are you grateful for today?
What a wonderful story. I mean not that there was an explosion but how it all worked out for the best.
Someone was looking down and smiling upon your MIL.
Wow -that is really fabulous timing. I think your MIL needs to buy a lottery ticket!
Yikes! Glad everyone (but the Gator) is okay!!
I’ve been working hard at being grateful lately (and mostly failing miserably). But I’m grateful my family is all relatively healthy, we live a life of comfort with good jobs and have the ability to do the things we want without much sacrifice. And tomorrow my Baby Girl turns 6. Seriously. I’m so glad to be out of the baby phase (although at this time of October, I’m nearly as exhausted as I was 5.75 years ago…)
So glad that the timing of things worked out so well for your in-laws. This reminds me of high school. My friends and I had our own spaces and everyone parked in their same space every day. This weren’t assigned it was just the way we did it. I always parked with my friend Jeremy’s car on the left of my car and Laura’s on the right. I was out sick one day and received a call shortly after school got out for the day. Jeremy’s car caught on fire and was totaled as was the car to his left. Glad my hoopdy mobile wasn’t there that day!
WOW.
There’s a lot to be grateful for in your post — and in your MIL’s day!
Glad everyone is safe. How scary! I’m working on being grateful for everything in my life, although at 3:14 a.m., I’m not so grateful for insomnia
Wow, I’m glad no one was in the car when it caught fire.
Yikes. I am so glad everyone is safe - how different things might have been.
Today I’m grateful that my son, aged 10.5 months, got through his first fever-illness without it being even more serious. After three days of a very high fever and two lots of medical attention, he has got his mojo back this morning. I’m grateful that last night we all got a good night’s sleep, and that despite my fears his illness wasn’t a dreadful bacterial infection.
That is incredible. I didn’t know cars could spontaneously combust. I suspect alien intervention.
I am grateful for a whole slew of things, including smooth travel recently.
So many things. Family, friends, faith, job, fabulous fall weather! It’s good to stop and remember how lucky we are to live where we do even when present circumstances do not seem perfect.
Glad the in-laws are okay.
Holy SCARY! That sound terrifying! She had some angel on her back that day.
My grateful seems kind of lame by comparison: a day off of school giving me a very necessary 3-day weekend to get the garden put to bed and the windows/screens washed up for winter.