Strange Day

It's just after midnight and I'm in a quiet house - not mine. I finally got the baby to sleep - not mine. It's been a very strange day. It was actually unseasonably warm today - which was a nice break from the 18 degree weather we've been having. It was a sunny, 65 degree day and I took Luke to the playground and enjoyed the sun on my face. When I got home, Joey had just gotten back from mountain biking and we were just chilling with a few friends - when we looked out the window and saw that our neighbor's house was on fire! Black smoke was billowing out of their second story window - soon to follow were bright orange flames, windows shattering and it seemed like their whole house was going to explode. It was all a blur and the next thing I know I'm across the street huddled on the ground with an elderly Indian woman wrapped in a blanket who is crying in my arms and tears are streaming down my face. Our neighbors are from India and this was a mother-in-law who was there helping with their 4 month old baby. I'm not sure exactly what happened but they think it was started by an oil lamp in their prayer room. It all seemed surreal that this family's home was being destroyed right in front of our eyes. Luckily the baby and everyone in the house got out ok. We stayed with the family and our other neighbors for hours. It felt strange to go back home and try to resume our normal lives but there was nothing left to be done. I'm sure they will need help and some donations of clothes etc. soon.
Then, later tonight we were standing in line to buy movie tickets on our Friday night date - when my good friend called in tears. Her son has a rare condition where he doesn't feel pain. He's only 17 months old and this is a new diagnosis. It is extremely rare -like one in two hundred million. Anyway, between sobs she was able to say he was biting his tongue off and she couldn't get him to stop. She thought maybe Joey could file down his teeth or something or at least help her husband give him a priesthood blessing. So, we rushed to their house and found my friend and her husband holding their sweet boy and both of them were just covered in blood. For some reason I guess he was fixated on biting his tongue and was just completely piercing it. We decided what he needed right away was some Benadryl to get him to sleep so he would stop biting and they could figure out a long term solution. My friend jumped in her car to rush to a Pharmacy and backed into our car! Our car was smashed but also, she got some pretty bad whiplash and was hurting. I couldn't believe it - after all she'd been through already. They are at the hospital now possibly getting him sedated so that the oral surgeons can work on him. I'm here with their newborn. My heart is aching for our neighbors who lost so much of their house and for my good friends who are exhausted trying to make decisions regarding this uncharted medical territory.