Flowers and Fire......

Some of my last roses from the garden....

I love this beautiful rose, it grows so big and the colors are so pretty.

These are my absolute favorite!

They are so lush and smell amazing. They remind me of peonies.



Ok, on to the hard stuff.

This is not something I would usually share but I just keep thinking I should share it with you.

Some things you should know about me first.

I truly believe God protects me and my loved ones everyday. My mom always said, "if we could only pull back the curtain" and see what God does for us everyday, we would not believe the evil that he has kept away from us

.

I RARELY cry. I just don't have a need to do so. So when I do, it's a REALLY BIG DEAL.

I light candles and leave them burning....always.

I figure they are in glass containers (Yankee Candle types) so what harm can be done.

Harm CAN BE DONE.

I am here (by the grace of God) to tell you so.

This is an email I wrote to my family right after SOMETHING TERRIBLE happened to me.....

I just want to cry right now, as I truly believe God saved my family’s life this morning. (ok I am crying!)
I always leave a candle going….it’s in a glass container and then in another glass container. I woke up thinking something wasn’t right. I tried to go back to sleep but that feeling was too strong. I felt like I smelled something funny but I kept saying that to Mike the night before so I tried to dismiss it. I still felt like I had to go downstairs. I only waited a few minutes of this back and forth dialogue before I finally got out of bed. I always take my medicine first and I grabbed them. Still that little voice said, “hurry, hurry!” (crying again) I opened the bedroom door and noticed that funny smell was even stronger. I remember thinking that thank God there wasn’t a fire……
When I was half way down the hall I heard glass break, I ran downstairs to see the candle I had lit with a huge flame! I was afraid the next glass was going to break because it was black. I grabbed the bottom, put it in the sink, grabbed a handful of water and threw it on. I jumped back because I just knew it was going to explode and it did. A huge fireball went up like I had poured alcohol on it! I did it again and the fire went out. The runner under the candle is singed black and I feel it was only seconds before that caught on fire.
NEVER AGAIN will I leave a candle going like that.
Thank you, God for keeping my family safe.

Here is the candle holder....charred and blackened.

(sorry about the icky food in the disposal)

The broken glass of the candle inside.....



You can see a large piece of ash on the bottom.

My runner was burned and ashes were all around where the candle was.

I truly believe if I had been just one more minute in bed this would have caught on fire.

The fire detectors started going off when I got downstairs.

My girls huddled together in my older daughter's room because the noise scared them.

We now talk about what to do if this happens again.

We used to talk about it when they were younger but when they get older you think they just know.



This is my candle now. I was able to clean up this holder.

A new runner is in place of the old.

 I still love it's beautiful glow, but I am still terrified inside.

I blow it out whenever I leave and before bed now.

Be safe.

I'm pretty sure I am was a fireman's worst nightmare.

I'm very safe with the candles now.

I am so thankful to God for keeping my family safe.

I know that was his presence telling me something was so wrong.

~Shanon