As we trudged through September and October, I set my sights on November 3rd. This would be mark a week's beginning that held no practices, no games. We might even be able to spend all five nights at the dinner table together. Monday arrived. Oh, that's right, an end-of-season football party. Tuesday: "Mom can I please sub for the indoor soccer game at 5?" and "I thought we were going to get haircuts today." Wednesday: parent info meeting regarding the March mountain school trip. In my lovely, selfish PMS state, I whined "Will I ever get to be alone??" At 5:15 a.m. on Thursday morning it was determined: probably never.

As I awoke from my groggy state and lifted the phone to my ear, a recording on the other end informed me that classes were canceled at the middle school due to a fire. I stumbled to the computer and clicked on the local newspaper's website. It was a typical windy November night so I assumed a tree probably hit a circuit breaker and the building lost power. One day without school. No big deal. Wrong. This wasn't just a little fire in the basement. It was a full blown inferno. And it had been burning since 1 a.m. And 100 firefighters were on the scene.

So now as the district scrambles to relocate 600 middle schoolers, they also announced that the earliest students would return to school would be next Thursday the 12th. I do feel sad about this. It's where my son spends most of his life outside of home. He was having a fabulous 7th grade year. So many unanswered questions about his future schooling. But then I just have to laugh at the reality of it all. They'll eventually head back to class and then early dismissal for conferences the following two weeks. Then Thanksgiving. Then Christmas. I'm ready to just write this school year off. Might as well homeschool at this point. (I better be careful with that comment or it might come back to bite me.)

Last night I sat here thinking of my agenda again, I couldn't help but wonder if God might be actually saving me from myself. Hmmmm. Maybe He knows that--left to my own devices--I would become even more selfish than I already am. What if I did have an empty house and an empty calendar from 8:30-2:30 Monday through Friday? Would I use that time wisely or slowly fill it with meaningless activities? Would I look for ways to give or would my focus turn to getting instead? I think I know the answer already.

If you're interested in some pictures from the fire, here are a few that my "lookie-loo" husband snapped. Yes, he drove down there--with Quinn in tow, as soon as he heard the news.