first house on the right

This has been one crazy day. We live near a few vacation homes and are accustomed to the normal noisy weekenders partying away. This weekend the partying started off early with fireworks since Germany won their soccer match. Sorry, I dont know all the details about the game or what the win means, but it's a big deal here. People drive around with their country's flag proudly flying from every crevice of their vehicle.

At 2:30am I was violently awoken from my peaceful sleep by the sounds of a woman screaming and men yelling. But, I truly believe a woman knows when another woman is flirting and when she is screaming for her life. These were screams of fear. I peered through the open windows, but couldn't make out anything. My husband had fallen asleep downstairs so I was headed down the hallway to see if he too had heard the woman. Normally, I would just go back to sleep, but something was very unsettling about her pleas. Though they were in German, they were universal in tone. Before I had wobbled halfway down the hall, our doorbell was buzzing. One... two... three times. Someone wanted in and they wanted in NOW.

I raced down the stairs and my husband met me at the entryway room. I yelled, "Who is it?!" several times, but the responses were all in German. I looked back at my husband for the approval to open the door. He nodded. A young man stood in front of me dazed and frightened. His arm was locked in with his companion. Apparently, this was the young woman who I had heard only moments before. She was visibly shaking and crying. Our exchange was quick, I had no clue what was going on and if there were others out there. I had to think of my family and my sleeping children, but I just knew I needed to let them in. I looked at her and she looked back at me begging for help. We came to the conclusion that my husband spoke enough German and he enough English to communicate. We let them in, offered them water and a seat and called the police again to let them know where they were now. They had already called the police, but from the train station down the road from our home.

The story was they were at the train station when a group of men in a van tried to jump them with bats. The girlfriend took off running and her boyfriend followed as the men chased them. The train station is very close to our home and we've walked and driven through it almost everyday. I think about how long that chase must have felt for her and not knowing when she'd be able to stop. I imagine she saw our home as a safe haven and relief. Everything happens for a reason. My husband falling asleep on the couch with the living room light on was meant to happen. That light illuminated her way to safety. I think how that could have easily been me or one of my girls running and I know that if I had to do it all over again, I would open that door. I just thank God she found our home... the first house on the right.

*Blessings*