July 15, 2018. Madison, Mississippi. The Fire.

Our friends Tom and Joyce had a fire at their house. Everything burned, including the new bunk house, the garage and the main house. They have been left with just the clothes they were wearing. They had been shopping and returned to find only ruins. Fortunately, no one was hurt but everything must be rebuilt. What a mess for them to deal with. They live on one of the Kiwartha Lakes east of Toronto and close to Peteborough. Their location is remote, which was one of the issues for the firemen. Their son Tommy lives with them and was home at the time. He described an explosion in the garage, which burned quickly and set both the bunk house and the house on fire. Fortunately he got out. Ken and I had our Carriage House burn in Nova Scotia but it was not our primary resident. Imagine all the photos, files books and clothes, all burned to ashes. And they over 80. Their house used to be their cottage. After they retired, they moved to the cottage and have been living there ever since. For me, the most interesting part of their purchase of the cottage occurred when Tom won a lotery. He had purchased a ticket on a whim and he won. His name was published in the Toronto paper, which caused a big stink in Salvation Army circles because Salvation Army people are not supposed to gamble. I thought it was funny, and fortunately did Tom and Joyce. With the lottery funds they bought the cottage which their family and friends have enjoyed. Now our hearts go out to them as they go through the painful process of rebuilding.