“You realize, during this time, that you don’t need that much to survive,” said Jessica Blais. “Starting over really puts that into perspective – how much you really need to get by.”
Blais, of New Ipswich, along with her husband Tim and their two sons has learned that lesson well over the past few months, since their house, with all their possessions and their vehicles, went up in flames in May.
“I was left with pajamas and no shoes,” recalled Blais.
But not for long.
Within minutes, the family’s pastor, Bob Hakala, was on the scene, and helping to organize assistance for the family.
That first day, left with nothing, the family were quickly provided with cash donations from a bank account set up at TD Bank, so that they could go to WalMart and replace their necessities. And before less than 24 hours had passed when people started to drop of bags of clothing, groceries and water.
A lot of people gave a lot of small things that added up, said Blais, but there were also big gestures – Myra and Dave Somero had an empty house on the market, and allowed the Blais’ to live there for a few months while their insurance claim went through and they were able to have a double-wide trailer delivered to their property for them to stay in while their house was rebuilt.
“It was an immediate outpouring of the community, which was completely overwhelming,” said Blais. “It kept us afloat.”
The family found positive aspects for their two young children to focus on, as well, said Blais. The boys enjoyed watching the construction process of their new house from close-up. And in the immediate aftermath of the fire, the couple’s older boy, Isaiah Blais, was recognized by both the state and local fire department for quick thinking in getting both him and his brother Elijah out of bed when he was awakened by the fire alarm.
“I think that immediately got them past a lot of the bad stuff,” said Blais. “Isaiah being recognized made the experience a positive thing for them, and they were able to form bonds with some of the first responders.”
Then, in September, the process Blais and her children had been watching outside the window of their trailer was completed – the Blais family had a house again.
“When you’re waiting and watching for it, it seems to take forever,” said Blais. “But when we contacted the company to come and remove the trailer, they couldn’t believe how fast it had gotten done.”
It’s a big step back to normality for the Blais family, she said.
“It was so amazing,” said Blais, of being able to move into their re-built home and wave goodbye to the trailer they had been residing in for the past few months. “I just wanted to cook a whole meal, in my new kitchen, so bad, and just get back to a little bit of normal and routine.”
Their trailer had come furnished, said Blais, so the family has been busy filling their new house with all the things they need to make it a home. But, Blais noted, despite the odd missing tidbit popping up now and again, the family has found that it’s not so much the things that make a house a home.
“We personally have seen greater loss, as far as losing loved ones,” said Blais. “This was a different form of it, but at the end of the day, everybody’s OK. So, in perspective, it’s all OK.”
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244.