Aten's Message of Hope!

I usually try to keep my blog positive and uplifting, but not this time.

On Saturday, January 31st at around 10 am we received a picture of a house on fire from Richard Aten, Dustin's uncle. It took us a minute to determine if it was their house, or someone else's...as we just could not believe what we saw.

It was their home.

Their home was engulfed in flames.

The fire originated in the garage, sometime early in the morning and spread quickly through the whole house. The home is a total loss. Rich, his wife Melanie, their son Alex, and two of their dogs made it out. Abby, a very beloved pet of many years, was not so fortunate.

Not much in the home is salvageable, but we are digging. Every little thing that is found, is a little beacon of light, in what seems to be an impossibly dark tunnel. Our family has never experienced anything close to this, and we are heartbroken.

But even through the heartbreak and devastation, life must go on. They have laid sweet Abby to rest, and have begun to start piecing their lives back together. There is Hope. They are alive. They have each other, and the support of an amazing family.

We have started a GoFundMe account for receiving donations to help the Aten's get their lives restarted. I have provided the link here. Anything helps. And if you can't give a monetary donation, please just share their story. Help us to get the information out there so that others can help as well.

I appreciate it, more than words can say for any help and every share, and I know that they do as well. Our goal here is to provide them with some financial assistance, but mostly Hope. Hope goes further during a tragedy like this than money ever could.

And if you happen to be the praying type...please say a prayer for them here and there. We know God is still on our side and he is listening to each of you on our behalf.

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