Today’s blog goes under the category of be careful because you never know.

Yesterday I started a Productivity course by bestselling novelist Jessica Brody at Writing Mastery (www.writingmastery.com). As an aside she offers some wonderful courses on this website — one price gets you all. You may want to take a look if you’re interested in this sort of info.

ANYWAY

Jessica was talking about the “Miracle Morning” protocol in which the first step is to get up early to write, before your brain is overloaded with too many activities.

Contrary to my best intentions and such good advice from Jessica, I stayed up late which is a bad habit of mine. I was watching Gordon Ramsey at Amy’s Baking Company — this video was so outrageous and sad/funny that I wanted to finish even though it was late. (https://tinyurl.com/32cjy358). I finally went to bed at 1am.

So when I woke at 6 this morning I groaned but decided I was going to hang tough and get out of bed and get to work. I figured I could take a nap later if I needed to.

Anyway, when I entered our first floor I couldn’t miss the smell of smoke. I located the source to the general area of my husband’s study and felt all the computers and appliances, but nothing was hot. It didn’t smell exactly like an electrical fire anyway, but definitely there was something burning.

I woke my husband and we looked around until I saw a pile of black rags right outside the study with smoke drifting. My husband quickly scooped up the rags and moved them outside to break up the smoldering fire on the pavement. He said it looked like charcoal briquettes, like you use in a barbecue.

Really scary. I don’t know but I’m thinking the smoke was so vigorous that the reaction was getting ready to flash over into flames soon.

How did this happen? My husband is refinishing our worn wood floor with linseed oil. It turns out when he was finished last night, he just put everything aside for the next day. It never occurred to either of us that spontaneous combustion with an oily rag was a possibility.

I am thanking God that He spared us. Instead of our house burning down, we are left with only a small charred area on our wood floor.

This is a good reminder that God takes care of us, even when we don’t know what is going on. Wow. I’m still stunned.

Also, keep in mind that oil-soaked rags are NOT a good idea to keep under your roof or in your garage, even when the environment is cool. I’d always sort of know this could happen and yet you never think it will happen to you.

Finally, the “Miracle Morning” is wonderful. Not only for the miracle of productivity, but also for the miracle of catching a bad problem. Just think, this was my first day using it. I’m a fan.

OK that was my excitement for today. Needless to say I haven’t been able to get back to work except to write up this blog. But I am so thankful and humbled that we dodged a horrible bullet.

I’m hoping you and your loved ones celebrated a wonderful Thanksgiving and you are enjoying holiday preparations this month. ‘Tis the season.

Wise men still seek Him.