{Treasures, I Tell You}

We had an interesting sacrament meeting in our little town last March. It didn't start out different than any other week, but about fifteen minutes into the meeting the pager of one of our firemen went off, and out he ran. Ten minutes later someone came in and got a young couple, a few minutes later their parents, then some family friends. By that point, I felt bad, but I don't think many of us were hearing the speakers, but were wondering what was happening. It turns out there was a fire in the home they were renting, a home that has been in my family for generations. My Grandpa's, grandpa built that home over 100 years ago. As long as I can remember the house has been owned by Uncle Orrin, who is actually my Grandpa's Uncle. It was a summer/weekend home for his family. I have so many memories of sitting on the front porch visiting, playing in the yard or playing Chinese checkers when the cousins came to town. Uncle Orrin always called me, and any of the other girls Matilda, and as a child I could never understand why. My parents rented that house the summer I was born, and I lived there the first 3 months of my life. That Sunday was a sad day for many. In the many months since that day, I've driven by the old Beckstrand home daily and been so sad to see the shape it's in.

For weeks after the fire, the bricks stayed wet from the water used to put out the fire.
These pictures honestly don't show how bad it truly looks.

Yesterday, I noticed some cars there and wondered who was there and what they were doing, since I'd heard that the family was selling the home. Lisa and I were visiting for a minute when she came to pick up Tylie, and my grandma called. She said the family was closing on the house in just over a half hour and had asked if there was anything she would like from the home, she said, "No, but I know two girls who would love to come look." We jumped in the car and ran right down. I don't know which I noticed first, the treasures or the devastation? We just stood there, with melting snow dripping on our heads, looking at the amazingly detailed mouldings and beautiful doors amid ashes and damage. I would have taken all of them, if the buyer didn't plan to try and restore it. But, in the middle of the living room floor were two huge old cabinets. Cabinets that had been there as long as I can remember, cabinets that have a bit of smoke and water damage, not to mention age damage, cabinets that the family wasn't taking and were offering to us!
Tonight we got a crew together and went to pick up our treasures......treasures that the guys (Derrick, Dad, Shad, & Ky) joked should have burned with the house. How could they say such a thing? I guess the old saying is true "One mans trash, is another mans treasure". They are both made from solid old barn wood, with old square nails, not to mention are very heavy. While the guys went to drop off Lisa's cabinet (the multi-colored one, we drew to decide who got which one). I visited with my grandpa. He said that the cabinets had been in the house as long as he could remember, even when his Grandparents were there.....meaning these belonged to my great, great, grandparents!

TREASURES I tell you!
I can't wait to get to work on them, and I have just the spot picked for mine!