“Hello, Mr. Merrill? This is John Smith from Tampa Fire and Rescue. Do you know what’s happened to your home?”
“No,” I said in with a questioning voice.
“Well, you have a major problem in your home. It’s flooded.”
“What?” I gasped. “What happened?”
“I would just suggest you get here quickly,” he exclaimed.
“Thank you,” I said hurriedly as I hung up the phone. I jumped in my car and raced home from the office in the pelting rain. Once I pulled into the driveway, I realized what had happened. We were getting a new roof on our house and the workers had taken off the old one but, for whatever reason, they were not able to get a tarp secured to cover the house. So, in came the heavy rain. The attic, second floor and first floor were all inundated. Beautiful old plaster ceilings fell to the floor, antique furniture was ruined, and clothes were soaked. That night, June 1st, we moved out.
Sure, it’s tough for my family to be houseless. You get kind of disoriented and feel like you’re in a fog. But we’re not homeless. We know where our permanent home really is. Carrie Underwood shares the same sentiment in her hit song, Temporary Home—“This is our temporary home. It’s not where we belong…This is just a stop, on the way to where we’re going.” Heaven is my family’s ultimate home and our final destination.
As you watch this video below, you’ll see how our house was destroyed, all of the damage that was done, and how we, as a family, reacted and ultimately gave thanks for this difficulty in our lives.
Check out my wife, Susan’s, take on the flood on her blog SusanMe.com:
The Roof Came Off & The Rain Came Down
The Flood Phase I: How Can It Be So Harmful?
