| – “starting over is never easy, the journey can make you question the Creator”Kiana WilburgAs Guyanese prepare to welcome the holiday season in fine style, gloom seems to be painting a bleak Christmas for most of the fire victims of 2013.Families who have lost their homes to fires this year have noted that the agony and displacement that comes with it have erased all plans for sharing in joys of the Christmas season.Understandably so, they added that this time of the year brings with it much misery,Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale, as it may only serve as a stark reminder of the accumulated wealth they have lost, wealth which they earned in the face of hardships.Fire Victims tell their storyForty-eight -year-old Anneta Douglas recounted the horrific day her husband allegedly razed their matrimonial home at Lot 548, Recht-Door-Zee, Parfaite Harmonie on September 19.Ms. Anneta Douglas“Earlier on that day, we had a quarrel. I was not pleased with the way he was behaving and treating me”.The argument between the couple escalated and a scuffle ensued. The alleged assailant started choking his wife but she managed to break free. She then made her way to the La Grange Police Station to make a report.Douglas related that whilst she was making the report, two officers stormed in reporting about a fire. Based on the details provided,Cheap Jerseys For Sale, she knew intuitively that it was her residence.“I always use to hear him threatening to burn the house down because he built it. I never believed he would do something like that. By the time I returned I saw the house on fire. I felt sick and empty on the inside. I was in shock. I felt cold and unable to scream. It was just a terrible experience. I have not seen my husband since he set the house on fire. The police are still looking for him.”Mrs. Douglas contended that while she is grateful for the assistance she has received thus far, her Christmas season will be quite miserable as she still lives in fear for her life and the earnings she would have saved along with other items in the home, have all gone down the drain.One November 5, last, fire also destroyed a two-flat home at Lot 14 Crane Housing Scheme,Nike NFL Jerseys China, West Coast Demerara. Seven persons were left homeless.The upper flat was occupied by a family of five while the bottom was shared between a 34-year-old bachelor and his cousin, who had recently moved in.Ms. Maurel Hope, the mother of the bachelor who rented the bottom flat told this publication that, “Despite it all, I will remain a believer in God.”“You know, starting over is never easy. And sometimes when these things happen it tempts you to question the existence of the Creator. But, I believe all things in due time work together and you just have to keep strong and hold steadfast in the Lord.”“My son is a very ambitious young man. He was trying to structure his own life to prepare for a family of his own. He worked really hard to get everything and he had just finished furnishing the home with everything to make one comfortable. His cousin had recently moved in with him as well. But when that fire came it was horrific. I felt it for my son.”Ms. Maurel HopeStruggling to compose herself, she related, “It is such a disturbing experience. And sometimes losing a home feels as though you lost a life. Memories are born there and then when you consider the amount of effort you put into crafting it into a home just makes you crumble. A home is like an album of memories, when you lose that to a fire coming on to a Christmas season, it becomes harder to accept and move on because that is what Christmas is about. Sharing, caring, and reflecting on the happy memories of the year. But a situation like this removes the colour and happiness from your world.”Donations“A donation does not have to be tangible in all instances” as one survivor of a terrible fire puts it. But at this time of the year,Wholesale Jerseys Store, a donation of someone’s time can really make the difference in reviving the hope victims need to get them back on track.On November 21, several families,Cheap Jerseys From China, including Douglas and Ms. Hope received donations from members of the Guyana Relief Council (GRC).Apart from receiving cheques worth over $45,000, other donations included basic necessities such as gas stoves, mattresses and groceries.Ms. Hope received the donations on behalf of her son while other members collected theirs at the Council.All were in tears on that day as they thought they would have been neglected but expressed how grateful they are for the contributions made.However, other survivors believe that assistance should include counseling.One survivor who lost two of his children in a fire in October 2012 said,Cheap Jerseys USA, “While monetary donations and other tangible necessities are extremely helpful, sometimes what people also need especially at this time of the year is just a few encouraging words to remind them that they can still do it, that they can still keep moving with God. You have no idea the state of mind of someone who has lost everything they have toiled over. It is a torturing experience.A home being engulfed by a fireEvery day after that, you wake up with it on your mind. If it weren’t for the people at my church who spoke to me every day and helped me to overcome the hurt of losing my two daughters, I don’t think I would have been here today.”Even Ms. Douglas and Ms. Hope supported the call by the survivor that along with tangible donations, they would humbly suggest the provision of counseling in such times of distress. |
