Close call. way too close.

amother

Sun, Feb 22 2015, 2:20 am

Disclaimer: not sure this is the correct forum for this.

I had a frightening experience right before Shabbos and I'm sharing it as a way of thanking Hashem publicly as well as to bring awareness.
(Posting as amother to protect identity IRL)

As I was lighting candles this week, the match snapped in half and landed first on my robe then on the floor.
My robe lit on fire and began to spread all the way up me and around my back. I panicked and tried desperately to pat out the flames and wasn't being successful as I watched the flames spread at lightning speed. I couldn't stop drop and roll because I light in a very tight spot to keep my kids out of the way. I began to scream and dh hadn't left to shul yet and came running to see what was happening. He kept yelling take off the robe and I quickly ran out of the spot I was in and he grabbed my robe off of me and somehow put out the flames. I was hysterical and couldn't stop shaking.
After I got back to my senses I realized that I just experienced multiple nissim.
First that I was covered in flames yet I did not get burnt! (I got a tiny sliver of a burn on my stomach barely enough to even call a burn, looks like a scratch) and that's basically it!
Second, I had been leaning against a wood sefarim shelf and it didn't catch fire.
The tablecloth also right there did not catch.
I had watched the fire fall to the floor and start to spread but when I looked back the flame was completely out.
When I looked at my robe afterwards, it looked at first glance almost untouched(!) though if u look closely at it u see scorch marks all over it.

I was gripped with fear when it happened and felt like I was staring the malach hamaves in the face, yet some other malach must have been holding on tight not allowing any harm.

I have so much gratitude to Hakadosh Baruch Hu right now I don't even know how to express it.
I personally have been struggling with a few things and took on a kaballah to strengthen myself - particularly tznius and shalom bayis related areas where I could really use help and being symbolic of candles and my clothes.

I still can't believe I came out of it all unscorched.... It made me realize how much Hashem really is involved in our lives. It doesn't seem natural to me that I didn't even need to go to ER!

My heart is racing as I write this and realize the craziness of it all. I hope my 3 yr old that saw it isn't traumatized tho I myself am quite traumatized at the moment.

My takeaways for myself and hopefully all:
-Don't wait for freak moments and tragedy to learn not to take life for granted.
-Hashem is intimately involved in your life even if it doesn't always feel that way. (I really messed up with some things this week and kind of felt like its not like Hashem really cares, and this came immediately following)
-be careful around fire. Yiddishkeit calls for lighting fire and candles in so many areas and we tend to be a little careless with it but fire can spread in the least expected moments and you must be careful especially around children.
-lastly, when it seems like ur in an impossible unfixable situation, do not despair, miracles can happen!
Whew

amother

Sun, Feb 22 2015, 3:11 am

Boruch Hashem that you're okay Smile

What an amazing and inspiring post!

finallyamommy

Sun, Feb 22 2015, 5:42 am

wow!

greenfire

Sun, Feb 22 2015, 11:09 am

sounds scary ... glad you're okay

you might need to bentch gomel

chuchu

Sun, Feb 22 2015, 11:29 am

Wow! Glad you're ok!

jflower

Sun, Feb 22 2015, 4:13 pm

Wow, what an experience. I'm so glad it ended the way it did BH.

Dolly Welsh

Sun, Feb 22 2015, 4:22 pm

B"H!

Hugs!

amother

Sun, Feb 22 2015, 4:31 pm

Wow! What Nissim!
Hashem truly does love you!

pelle

Sun, Feb 22 2015, 6:29 pm

Wow. BH a million times! I would personally say mizmor l'todah in Tehillim, psalm 100 and Nishmas kol chai. So Glad you are ok. Amazing, that you decided to strengthen yourself in tznius before that happened.....

amother

Sun, Feb 22 2015, 7:07 pm

Op here.... Thanks for the hugs, likes, and chizuk.
Feeling emotionally drained at the moment.
And keep having flashbacks of it all.

Putting on a smile on the outside but feeling raw on the inside.

sheifelah

Sun, Feb 22 2015, 7:07 pm

Wow. Incredible! BH!

zaq

Sun, Feb 22 2015, 7:25 pm

Now that you have done your part blessing and glorifying G-d's name, as is right, consider this episode as a warning and take the next logical step:: practice stop, drop and roll with your whole family so it becomes second nature to everyone, and reconsider the place where you light your candles.

Dovi'smom

Sun, Feb 22 2015, 7:28 pm

Unbelievable and awe inspiring.

Thanks for sharing!

Sun, Feb 22 2015, 7:45 pm

One amother wrote "Hashem really loves you". Hashem really really loves us all. It is our responsibility to open our eyes and look for the love He showers us with on a regular basis. OP has open eyes to see it. She could've easily have seen it in a negative light; like she has just taken upon herself major changes in yiddishkeit, why in the world did this have to happen. It is the same token, just the different side of it.

ValleyMom

Sun, Feb 22 2015, 8:12 pm

As someone who lost a home and all my possessions in a house fire PLEASE everyone... check your home insurance policy and make sure you have the most extensive fire insurance possible.

BH our insurance covered everything and we are all okay.

We had to live in hotel for a month.
We had to rent a furnished home for 10 months
We had to hire a security guard to protect our burned home from scavengers.

The list goes on and on and on.

OP you witnessed a miracle- bentch Gomel and please call your insurance agent and double and triple check your coverage.

In our case, our agent encouraged us to upgrade our coverage a few years prior to our house fire and so we started paying an extra $20 a month and that made a HUGE difference in our coverage.

loveandpeace

Sun, Feb 22 2015, 11:44 pm

Freaky!! I cannot imagine how ur running ur daily life. Ttl trauma. And a huge NES!! HASHEM Ttly Luvs u.

koalamum

Mon, Feb 23 2015, 12:10 am

Wow! You really have reason to thank Hashem!
I did notice that matches are becoming very cheaply made. They are very thin and they often break in half on me. To me it is annoying. To you it became a miracle!
Maybe a lot of us have daily nissim that we don't even realize.....!

Dolly Welsh

Mon, Feb 23 2015, 12:50 am

I am no expert but should your husband bentsch gomel in shul?

Can you do that privately?

amother

Mon, Feb 23 2015, 1:20 am

Op here.
Been trying to reach rav all day literally about bentching Gomel.
I have no idea about details of Gomel and assumed dh needs to do it by aliyah but not sure and still haven't reached rav.

To the poster that said to start practicing stop drop roll with family: YES!
To the poster that lost house, I'm so sorry to hear that. You are right for posting here and I'm glad you brought up insurance. I've been pushing it off for way to long and the way things could've happened we could have lost all. I'm so thankful for the nissim I experienced and hopefully will try to take care of insurance right away.

For all those saying Hashem loves me, I needed to hear that thanks. I keep feeling like it was more of Hashem warning me sternly and its refreshing to view it as love and not only fear...

Does it make sense that I feel so depressed and in pain deep in my heart now? Is that a result of trauma. I feel so sad and I can't explain it.
I just want to cry and cry but it won't come out.
I tried to relax last night and take it easy but nothing seems to help.
I sort of just feel numb from it all and trying to walk the ropes of my responsibilities as if nothing extraordinary happened.

JoyInTheMorning

Mon, Feb 23 2015, 1:26 am

I'm so glad you're okay. This would seem to call for bentching gomel; I don't know if in your circles, women do that; otherwise, your husband can do it for you.

Matches are often cheaply made, so when I light candles, I light a match, use it light a Chanukah candle, and put the match out. Then I use the Chanukah candle to light the Shabbat candles. Much safer.

I also use very low candlesticks because I am very worried about tall candlesticks toppling over and causing fire. I've heard too many scary stories.