Sunday 6 January 2013

Story Telling Sunday - Get that box...

For the very first time I am taking part in Story Telling Sunday and I have to admit I'm a little nervous. When I read the prompt, Pick your Precious, over on Sian's blog a couple of days ago, it got me thinking & I came up with a variety of ideas but when I asked my Husband he surprised me with his answer... since then I keep going back to his choice so maybe it's time to share.
It's hard to know where to start so reader please bear with me x

It is less than a week to the 3rd anniversary of a day that totally changed our lives. One of those days when you feel like you are an extra in a soap opera as it just can't be real. This was the day that our home caught fire. In true TV style we only had 3 or 4 minutes to evacuate due to the billowing, choking smoke filling our house, taking with us anything we could. After ensuring our Son was safe I had an uncharacteristic moment of clarity, calling my Husband to quickly collect a large box from a high shelf in a store cupboard. Thankfully he didn't stop & question my request as every second was valuable. All the belongings we retrieved including this box were dumped in the boot of my car where they stayed for a couple of weeks as unfortunately the situation escalated making our home uninhabitable with many of its rooms and the roof destroyed.

I bet you're thinking so what did I think was so precious? From the outside it's just an old box from a previous Christmas gift.
The real treasure is it's contents. Tucked away in neatly labeled envelopes are photograph negatives.
These negatives document our life from becoming a couple, the birth of our 3 children, up to when we went digital.
I can't truly explain why I made him save this box & was surprised I even knew where it was but I'm ever so pleased I did, as the room it was in was destroyed. Maybe it's the scrapbooker in me that realised the contents were irreplaceable, we will never really know but I was thankful in the weeks, months & years that followed that despite not having lots of the physical things people hold so dear, I had managed to save these captured moments to pass on to my children.

My apologies for the serious nature to my story if you don't already know me, I'm not after sympathy in fact I have many things to be thankful for in my life but as you can imagine it has shaped our lives in the most recent past.

Without Sian's encouragement and Story Telling Sunday this story would probably never have been told & certainly never blogged. Now I'm thinking maybe it should be a Lo too ?

Please hop on over & have a read of all the marvellous Pick Your Precious stories.

19 comments:

  1. I can't imagine what you went through as the fire took hold but it's great that you had that moment of clarity and saved your pictures because those snapshots are irreplaceable. I think it is time for this story to go onto a layout, thank you for sharing.

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  2. It's been a long journey for you I know... Love and hugs xxx

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  3. Precious indeed - and yes indeed it did need to be told - and recorded elsewhere too?A layout definitely. Thank you for sharing - I'm very glad you joined in with Storytelling Sunday. J xx

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  4. Sheena, what a story this is! Such an awful thing and yet, although it's so sobering, you have brought out the life-enhancing bits too. There won't be anyone who reads today who won't understand your choice of those photos I bet;and it feels like a privilege that you shared such a personal choice with us today.

    Thank you so much for joining in - it's very good to have you with us.

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  5. I am so happy you saved your photos. Before my cousins became my cousins (LOL) their house burnt down taking everything with it including their sister. The loss of all their photos in the following years was hard for them. When my Aunt married into the family she asked around and made copies of every photo anyone else had of the family and put them all into an album. It is only one album big but it is so very precious to my two cousins and my Uncle. I am very glad that your family was safe, but it is amazing what memories a photo triggers. I think it was the best moment of clarity ever!

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  6. What an amazing story Sheena - thanks for sharing it with us.

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  7. Wow, what a moving story! Yes, it totally deserves a LO! You had a very important reflex in asking your husband to save these negatives. Happy 2013. Cheers from Bordeaux, France

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  8. oh Sheena - that was indeed quick thinking I'm so glad you did manage to save those memories!

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  9. That's a really moving story.....and I think many of us can relate to the saving of precious photographs.

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  10. I can only imagine having to make a decision like that in a split second. I, too, would go for the photographs, scrap albums and such if I had time. I know the loss of everything else has to be devastating but I'm so relieved to know you still have all those precious memories.

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  11. My word. Amazing to have so much clarity in a situation like that and pick something so precious to keep. Thank goodness you did because it seems to hold so many memories. Thank you for sharing your story.

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  12. Ohh - I remember the feelings of loss after our house fire, so many precious things gone. (Started by my brother Peter actually) I am SO thankful you were able to remember and get your dh to grab that box, yes they do represent so many memories.

    Thanks for sharing your story.

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  13. Wow! What a powerful story. So glad you managed to rescue all those memories and that you were all safe. Thanks for sharing your precious with us xx

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  14. Oh that is such a precious treasure chest and I'm so glad you had the forethought to get your husband to grab it. I really don't know what I would do if I lost all the photos I have stored now on the computer.

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  15. Wonderful story to start the year & told in such a positive light. I can't imagine what it must have been like to lose so much, but I definitely understand why this box is such a treasure.

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  16. Golly, your quick thinking saved not just the day but many years of memories past and memories to be shared in the future. A wonderful story ... and you are reminding me how important it is to have copies of everything. Perhaps I need to buy some Cloud space! I hope you have managed to resettle happily now.

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  17. This is a very special story I can relate to as I lost most of my childhood memories and photographs in a fire at my mum's house. You will be so glad forever that you rescued that box from the fire. Those old photographs are incredibly precious. Thank you for sharing.

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  18. Not in a macabre way but I've often thought about what I would save if I could in the event of a fire and my hard disk drive would definitely be at the top of the list. Our negatives are in the loft so they wouldn't get saved, I'm glad you got yours in such a terrible event.

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  19. Oh, what quick thinking on your part and quick action on his. I cannot even imagine how comforting having those memories in physical form would have been after losing so much.

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