Re: Alicia's Condo Burning Down...

Hi Debbie,

I am surprised and sorry to hear that the Giggle-girl's condo burned down. It's one of those things that you think will never happen to someone you know. I saw footage on the News but didn't think anyone I knew was affected by it.

I did enjoy that article you included. Mainly the words of the witness describing the people jumping from the balconies, "She kind of jumped and kind of fell and a lady kind of caught her. It was freaky."

Nothing says "don't-quote-me-on-that" like a sentence full of "kind ofs." But "freaky" you can take to the bank. Good journalism.

I don't know what Alicia is doing now. I imagine she's probably getting the runaround from some insurance company. I was in a car accident over a month ago and, after weekly phone calls and voicemail messages, I have yet to even hear the voice of the insurance representative responsible for filing my claim.

Here is what I can offer Alicia:

I have an old 6-man tent she can have.

I just bought two refrigerators for our new house. If she likes the "urban" feel, she may have the cardboard boxes. One for entertaining and one for getting-away-from-it-all. I'll even throw in a roof (a tarp).

Beyond that, she would need to settle for living in the shed behind my house.

We actually have some old furniture we have to dispose of before we move to the new place. We can offer her a bed, a table, and some old couches. Some people might think of them as "junk" but when all you have to your name is a pile of soot and ashes they probably start to look "livable." She can have first dibs before we give the stuff away at a yard sale.

I can even post her PayPal address on my blog and ask my millions of readers to send her money. It IS a strange coincidence that someone who devotes so much time to Habitat for Humanity and The Redcross would end up in need of help. It would be stranger if nobody helped her.

So the message that "no act of kindness shall escape God's wrath" is not lost on me, but I'm willing to help anyhow.

Tell her I said "hello." I hope nothing was lost that can't be replaced. And I'm glad she wasn't home at the time to take a header off the balcony and break her pelvis. Let me know what I can do to help.

Emmett