Article February 22, 1999 Issue

What we gained when we lost everything

"I kept thinking that this couldn't possibly be happening to us."

By Vicki A. Turpen

"Our Family Lost Everything" was the headline in a Vancouver newspaper. It caught my attention because of an experience we had some years back. We were building a house in a small town in the Colorado mountains. The whole family was taking part in hammering, plastering, and painting. The children, ranging from ages eight to seventeen, had worked hard through the summer while living in a very small trailer.

Then one morning I was wakened by the feeling of great heat and the smell of smoke. When I opened the door of the trailer, I saw our home was in flames. The house burned to the ground along with the small barn-like building we had erected first to hold most of our appliances, furniture, and clothing.

As I tried to comfort my husband, who was in tears, and the younger children, who seemed dazed, I kept thinking that this couldn't possibly be happening to us. What had we done to deserve to lose things we had worked so hard for? We watched eighteen years of possessions go up in flames, and our anxiety increased as we thought about the consequences. It was August, and we had five children to clothe and feed. We had no place to live, and rental property was unavailable. School would start in less than two weeks. The three older children were due back from summer camp the next day, and we all could not spend the winter in the trailer.

Enjoy 1 free Sentinel article or audio program each month, including content from 1898 to today.

Send a comment to the editors
NEXT IN THIS ISSUE
Article
Q A
February 22, 1999
Contents

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit