04/13/2023
Our dear friends, come sit a spell, this one may take a few minutes. Many of you already know, but our beloved Sam's was attacked again early the morning of April 9th. We are devastated and have been in shock since we got the call, even though we had feared another attempt seeing the first had failed. Saturday, we had hope that it was just a rash decision from someone not thinking clearly. Sunday, we knew it was without a doubt deliberate. Saturday, we were discussing cleaning up and some minor repairs to open on Monday as usual. Sunday, we weren't sure we would be open ever again. Saturday, we could shrug it off as a bump in the road. Now, we no longer know which way the road is going, if the road even still exists. We have experienced so many emotions in the last few days, our entire family is mentally and physically exhausted. We have been crushed at the loss of such history and cherished memories that so many hold on to. Nearly every single person that we've heard from has a special time at Sam's they want to tell us about. We have some of our own, which played a big part in why we wanted to be in that location to begin with. I told Blake from the beginning that I was a farmer, not a store keeper or cook! But the first day we walked back through those doors, I knew he was hooked and so was I. The familiar creak when the wooden door was pulled open, that 'pop' from the old spring when it snapped shut. A big glass jar of bubblegum still sat on the counter. It was like walking into a time capsule. We've been so very angry at times, believing that this could have been prevented. The warning came just a little over 24 hours prior when the first bottle was tossed in. Reports were made and then it was all at a standstill. It was certainly unnerving, but at least it could be fixed. We had discussed our plan of action through the disbelief that it had even happened and felt confident that everything would be OK. We spent the entire day going over in our heads, with family, and coworkers, every possible reason that could have caused this. We've all tried to replay every second, each interaction that any of us have had in the last six weeks. Finally, we laid everything down to enjoy the Easter weekend with our children. Thinking it might be tried again had run through our minds and many friends suggested ways to be 'safer' but we came home thinking we had time to get it straightened out. Then the call came at 5am Sunday morning. We were told it had taken off this time and not to expect much to be left, it's going fast. The next few hours were a blur, but I would like to stop here and say that God surely places people in our lives to help carry us through the hard times. Blake was a volunteer firefighter when we met and he always spoke highly of Mr. Gene Richard. Chief Richard has been a faithful friend from the beginning and when Blake called home to let me know what was going on he said, "Gene is here and he's determined to save it!" I knew then if it was meant to remain, only God and Gene could keep it together. Thank you to our brave volunteers! While I am at it, the Grundy EMS team has also been phenomenal. They have offered support and help in every way from the get go, from eating their meals at the store, to now helping with their security tapes to try and bring closure to us all. You guys have really touched us and we are grateful! So many from the community have reached out to offer help and sympathy. I can't begin to name names, but we will never forget the support and kindness from each and every one of you! Donations and offers to do fundraising, offers to help clean up, offers to help rebuild, a family came and spent their Easter morning boarding up the damage! I told Blake that I've seen this county come together over and over again in tragedy, but I never thought we'd be on the receiving end. A very dear friend has been a backbone of support for me especially and has taken charge of efforts to bring Sam's Place through this and on to better days. At this time we do not want to accept any monetary gifts. The thoughtfulness to do so has been completely overwhelming, but we are unsure of the plans for the future and would not wish for you all to donate for rebuilding if it is not possible. I would also like to add that we've had some concerns for the fixtures in the building. We will not, under any circumstances, be throwing away any of the historical pieces!! If the building is rebuilt, many of them will be cleaned and remain just as they are inside. Any that may be removed will be well taken care of and given to those that will cherish what they stand for. As I've said earlier, we've felt every emotion imaginable the last few days. We deeply regret that this happened under our care. Had we had even the slightest idea that something like this would happen because of us, we would have tried our business somewhere else. When we say we've spent hours racking our brains to think of anything at all we could have said or done to bring this kind of vengeance on this community, it is not at all an exaggeration! At the beginning of our new adventure, we said we wanted a place where we could be a light. Our goal was to create a family for our employees, a comforting place for friends to meet, and for anyone who came in to know what God has done for us that we might be a help to others. We intended on making Sam's Place a family business for generations to come. Telling our 4 year old daughter (whom many of our customers have met and carried on quite the conversations with) that Sam's had been hurt and we couldn't go there for a while was almost as heartbreaking and sickening as seeing the damaged store itself. Since that morning, I've said over and over that we are devastated and terribly confused by why this has happened. Sitting in church that day the Lord brought to my mind the account of the blind man in John chapter 9. As Jesus is passing through the crowds, He sees a man that has been blind since birth. Christ's disciples ask Him, Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus simply answered by saying, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." My takeaway from the events of this weekend are this: not every trial, turmoil, or tragedy is brought on us because of something we have done. Sometimes we are put in a place solely for the purpose of showing others clearly the power of God!
Please continue to pray for us and our workers as we all have new challenges ahead. Pray also for the person behind this, that this can be used to bring them to a joy they've never found before that rests in Christ Jesus alone. If you or someone you know has any information regarding the arson, please call the tip line 1-800-762-3017. Again we can't thank you all enough and we love you all!
Blake and Whitney
