A Life Changing Moment

There are moments in life that mark us forever — moments that shake the ground beneath our feet and ask us to look deeper into who we are and what truly matters. For me, that moment came on July 20, 2020, at 6:20 PM — a humid summer evening that would change everything.

I was home that day, furloughed from work because of the pandemic. My air conditioning had gone out, so every window and door in my apartment was closed tight against the sticky heat. It turns out that small inconvenience was a hidden blessing, one I wouldn’t understand until much later.

Suddenly, I heard noise in the hallway — voices, movement, something unusual. Then came that quiet, unmistakable nudge from within, the one that has saved me more than once: Get up. Go see what’s going on.

I opened my door and saw my neighbor run past without a word. I looked toward the stairwell and saw a light haze of smoke curling upward — soft and tan like a whisper. I thought maybe someone had burnt their dinner. I grabbed my keys, phone, and a T-shirt, called 911, and stepped outside. I had no idea I was walking away from almost everything I owned.

When I reached the side of the building, I saw the flames. They were alive — fierce, consuming, moving straight toward my apartment. My heart broke open as I watched the fire crawl closer, but then, as if the wind itself had shifted, it changed direction and moved toward the opposite side of the building. Relief and heartbreak hit all at once — I was safe, but others were losing everything.

The firefighters soon used my apartment as their access point, going through my balcony to fight the flames from the inside. The powerful streams of water saved the building, but not without leaving their mark. Smoke and water damage seeped through my home — everything soaked, heavy, and smelling of ash. My belongings, my space, my sense of safety… all altered in an instant.

The rest of that night was a blur — emergency lights, kind strangers, the Red Cross, phone calls I could barely form words for. I left with nothing but my phone, keys, and the clothes on my back. I didn’t sleep that night, and the next morning I wandered the aisles of Walmart in a daze, trying to piece together a new life with travel-size shampoo and borrowed faith.

Feeling of Sadness and Heartache

And yet, in the middle of all that chaos, small blessings began to appear. A new hotel room when I needed it most. A friend’s message at the perfect time. My crafting community, who replaced my supplies so I could create again — so I could heal through color and texture and love.

Weeks later, standing before the demolition of my old apartment, I watched the walls crumble. Just before my bedroom fell, a worker retrieved a wicker basket for me — inside it was a ceramic angel my grandmother had made me years before. Against all odds, she had survived. In that moment, I knew I was being shown something sacred: even through fire, some things are meant to remain.

That day, that fire, that pain — it broke me open, but it also awakened something deep within me. A knowing that I was being guided, even when I couldn’t see it. That sometimes, the Universe strips everything away so we can find what truly lives within us.

I share this story because I know I’m not alone. We all go through moments that test our spirit. But even in the ashes, there is always light — and sometimes, that light begins within.