In the cracks of cement, the sides of barren hillsides and even in the middle of a rock garden, flowers find a way to bloom. I’ve noticed a flowers persistence over the years and I’ve always been a bit envious.
In case you didn’t know, we had a fire in our dryer recently. As far as anyone can tell at this point, it was a fluky electrical issue. It could have happened at any time. But it didn’t. The fire didn’t start in the middle of the night, or after we closed, or while someone was there alone, or with a building full of customers, volunteers, or the kids. The fire started on a day when all three managers were working and alert, early enough that none of the kids were there, and with only a couple customers present. Everybody reacted quickly and appropriately. Laurie, our front of house manager was first to notice something and quickly alerted me so she could keep the customers calm and move them out of the building. I ran to find the source and assess the situation, with Ashlee just behind me. When we got to the dryer it was smoking, not yet on fire. So Ashlee blasted it with a fire extinguisher while I called 911. The dryer then caught fire, and Ashlee and I hightailed it out of there. At that point, the first cop was arriving, and we joined the rest of our staff and customers in front of the building.
The cops, EMTs, and firemen were quickly present and handled everything from there out. I have to give credit to them for doing their job so well. Despite the fact that the fire could have become a lot worse, their presence was calm and efficient. They did their job well. After we were allowed back in and assessed the damage, we were impressed and happy to see that they were efficient in putting out the fire and clearing the smoke.
We were closed for business, and by some miracle Ashlee was able to send out most of the custom cakes we had on order for that day. Most customers were understanding, and expressed concern for our well being before their cakes.
We spent the rest of the day cleaning. Smoke leaves quite a stink and plenty of soot covering EVERYTHING. We lost all the food we had out: scones, cookies, croissants, pastries smoked meats, our gourmet sides and of course the cakes!
We lost plenty of materials too: the towels in the dryer , paper goods and supplies. And, of course, the day’s sales and our dryer and washer—which was melted by the dryer!
But not a single person was harmed. When Karen (our CEO) arrived soon after being called—all she cared about was the people. I don’t think she even asked about the building until the fire chief came over to the command center to report the status of the fire.
The damage to the building can be repaired, and the dryer can be replaced. Life goes on.
Anyone who knows me outside of work knows I have a thing about gratitude. I spent a year posting at least one unique thing a day that I was grateful for. I used it to fight depression, and to change myself and my life. Five months after starting that, Baker’s Treat and Ability 2 Work came into my life. Had it not been for that practice, I would have not been ready to join this amazing family. So when I say I have a thing about gratitude, I mean it. I have learned that when life hands you lemons, the pitcher, sugar and water are already waiting for you. I find something to be grateful for in every situation, no matter how hard I have to fight.
With this fire, there is no fight to find gratitude. The good is overflowing. You can call it luck, fate, divine intervention, coincidence, whatever you want. But it all worked out. Had that electrical issue happened at night, we might have lost the whole building.
The response has been incredible. We had so many people volunteer to come in and help. Two of our volunteers, Joe and Carole, parents of Mike, were supposed to have the day off to celebrate their anniversary. Guess where they were instead? Yup, they showed up to help clean up. They even brought rags and towels from home. Carole handed out her family’s old T-shirts for everyone to change into rather than ruin their clothes.
We spent Monday in the store continuing the clean up. Several of our staff volunteered their time. How amazing is that? What we do, who we are, matters so much to the people who work here that they gave up their days off with out pay to help. We really are a family here.
The response on facebook? “Glad everyone is OK” and “Let us know how we can help.” Over and over, from every person. Everyone was worried about people first, not the material things, and they were ready to help. No one pushed for details. And when we did post details, the response has continued to be amazing.
We do what we do to support our community. The differently-abled are valuable, and you all see that too. We have a responsibility to take care of everyone in our community. So we do that. We choose to support the differently abled because it is a cause close to our hearts. You all choose to support it for your own unique reasons. But being a community doesn’t mean supporting just one cause. We have partnered with other non-profits in the area, we support local businesses and artists. We are even hosting a discussion to address the drug issues in our area. Because to us, community matters. Everyone in our community matters.
We see everyday that the community supports us. But when we need it most, wowza! We are so amazed and grateful for the support. Please, lets keep it going. You are what keeps us going through the ordinary. And you keep us going during the extraordinary too.
Sunday, after a very long exhausting first day cleaning Karen was looking over the greenery in the café and shouted, “Oh look it’s blooming!” We all came to look at the trumpet vine that in the middle of the fire insanity decided to bloom. We smiled at one another, sharing the thought “that is our symbol: blooming, thriving regardless of circumstances.”
Such gratitude. Gratitude for the fire that tests us to reveal the flowers that bloom with-in us. Gratitude for the emergency responders, the firefighters, the EMT’s the police. Gratitude for your support, gratitude for your continued support and gratitude for our community and Ability 2 Work family.
So for all the support you have given, and will give, thank you, thank you, thank you. We are so grateful, we are so blessed.