Grab It

Once upon a time, some of our favorite people on earth made a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad, decision.

They moved away from us.

They took their children that I loved like my own, they took their stovetop popcorn maker that I loved, they took their comfy couch, and they packed them all in a moving truck (not the kids) and moved far, far away.

I live in the midwest. It is a lovely place to raise a family. AND we have lots of corn. Why anyone would want to move away from here to Malibu, California is beyond me. (Unless maybe you like things like breathtaking views, the ocean, Disneyland, California livin', swimmin' pools and movie stars and stuff like that.)

Had they stayed here in the cornfields with me, they would not have been evacuated from their home this week. I guess maybe now they're rethinking all that ocean air-movie star-California livin-stuff, huh?

Fortunately, they are all ok; their home at Pepperdine is safe, the stove-top popcorn maker is fine. We are so thankful.

Their evacuation this week and reading my friend Jenni's blog about her friends who were also evacuated got me thinking....WHAT IF?

WHAT IF something happened and I had to leave my home with only minutes to grab things?

Could I quickly and easily grab important papers and documents? (No. They are in too many different files that are mixed in with other vitally important things like Christopher Columbus word searches and coupons for carpet cleaning.)

Could I quickly and easily grab important photos? (No. They are in about twenty different albums and twenty other boxes labeled "To Sort.")

Could I quickly and easily grab important family heirlooms? (No. The cedar chest Scott's grandpa made is a tad bit heavy for me.)

Could I quickly and easily grab an outfit for all six of us? (No. Well, technically I probably could, but if I didn't, it would be an excuse to go shopping.)

Watching the news coverage of the people affected by the fires in California or coverage of homes devastated by tornadoes or New Orleans families who lost everything is heartbreaking. And it helps put into perspective the importance of things I spend money on.

I really, really want curtains for my bedroom. I've never had any. My windows are shamefully naked. I look longingly at curtains at every store. I never seem to be able to afford any, though. (Apparently my kids want shoes that cover their toes and stuff. Whatever. Dave Ramsey has ruined all my fun.) But I REALLY, REALLY want curtains.

But if I had to leave my home in a rush, would I grab my curtains? (No. Because I DON'T HAVE ANY! But if I did, of course curtains would not be a grabbing priority.)

So what WOULD I grab? I would grab as many photos as I could. I would grab my purse. I might grab the laptop so I could blog about what I grabbed. But first I would probably grab a wooden box that sits in my bedroom.

The box was a Christmas gift for me from my mom's husband. He made it and it is beautiful. But it isn't the box that is so important to me. It is what sits inside the box.

That box holds all my love letters from my husband. They are my favorite earthly possessions. Scott is a fun, clever, hilarious guy. He is easy-going and keeps things light. But when he writes me love letters, he is tender and thoughtful and purposeful. In those letters I can trace our different stages of life; different stages of our marriage. In those letters I am reminded that I am treasured and adored by a wonderful man. In those letters I remember all that brought us together so many years ago. And in those letters I remember all that holds us together now. I'd love for my children to one day (years from now) read those letters and see how their daddy loved their mommy. I'd love for those letters to be a family heirloom.

So I would grab that box of letters.

And I assume that if I ever had to flee my house quickly, it would be stressful, so right after grabbing my family, my box of letters, my photos and my purse, I'd grab a diet coke and some dark chocolate for the nerves.

What about you? What would you grab?