Fire!!!

     Do you ever have those times when your mind wanders and you start to think of the 'what if's' of life?  Like what if their was a natural disaster here, what would I do?  Or what if my family was in a bad car accident?  Or what if my house caught fire?  The last one has been on my mind lately, don't ask me why.  In my imagination my family is always outside safe and sound, so I am left to try and cull my many prized possessions down to a manageable and portable amount of stuff.  After all, I can't see myself trying to get the piano out the door.  As you can see I've thought about this for awhile.
     First would be my laptop because, well, because I'm secretly in love with it.  It is my best friend, it always agrees with me and with the stroke of a few keys it tells me I'm wonderful. I like that. And it has all my stories on it and if those ever got lost I would freak out. I have heart palpitations just thinking about it. 
     Second would be a painting done by my hubby's grandfather, we all called him Pa.  He was a gentle and kind man who would bounce the grandkids on his knee and sing a silly song that went "Whoopsy doodidly doodidly day whoopsy doodidly day," while he was doing it. How could you not love a man who would do that.  At some point in his life he took up painting and I was given one of them.  The painting is of a pathway between some trees with a slightly open gate leading somewhere special.  It reminds me of the poem by Robert Frost called "The Road Not Taken."  I always loved that poem because I took the road not taken and it has made all the difference in my life, so the painting is very special to me.
     The third thing I would take is actually a collection of pictures that my daughter gave me for Christmas a year ago.  It touched my heart that she would go to so much trouble to take pictures without me knowing and frame them for me as a gift.  There is one of each of my ten kids and the pictures themselves are beautiful.
     Most of what I have is replaceable and when it comes right down to it, other than my family and these few sentimental items, I would be okay.   What would you save if you had to?


        "The Road Not Taken"

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

By Robert Frost