It was the anniversary of the fire, it has been two years since the fire. The fire has become a way we mark time. When we talk about when something happened the kids always ask if things happened before or after the fire. The fire was definitely a life-changing moment. Our remembrance simply included a mention that it was the anniversary, and a few tears were shed by Hannah for Andy our cat that died. 
The past two years have been a learning experience. We have learned that trusting God is more than just lip service. The day of the fire we were interviewed by a local news station, the interview was never aired, but in it we stated that we were looking forward to what God would have for us, because He has always taken care of us. Looking back at day, it almost seems like a lie. Not the part about God always taking care of us, but the part that we were looking forward to what God would have for us. It must have been the shock talking! We had no idea at all how God would take care of us, and frankly I was more frightened than anything. I knew all the right words to say, but the action of trusting was much more difficult. It is a fearful thing to walk totally by faith not having any idea how the Lord would be guiding our steps. We had to walk daily trusting that things would work out.
The greatest blessing of the fire was not the new house, not that it wasn't absolutely wonderful! The greatest blessing was the lessons of faith that we learned.
The lessons of faith was exactly what we needed, because a year ago we made a life-changing decision. It was a decision that would require a walk that would be totally by faith. At the time it felt like a flying leap off the edge of a cliff with no safety net. When we made the decision for Nick to quit his job to pursue the chaplaincy it was very scary, but what kept us going was the lessons of faith we had learned from the fire. In the darkest days after the fire we could see how the Lord was working and taking care of our every need. Because of that we knew that the Lord would take care of us as we embarked on our new adventure. That is not to say that we have been pillars of faith in fact at times it has been quite the opposite, but in the times when our faith has wavered the Lord has continued to take care of us.
When it comes to things I am thankful for one of the things very high on my list is the fire. Not because I ever want to have another fire, but the lessons that we learned have been so valuable! We have seen in the last two years more than any other time in our lives the greatness of the Lord!
