courtesy photo: Jimmy and Renee Soukup examine the wreckage of the home they shared for four years.

by Theodore Wiesehan

    Jimmy and Renee Soukup moved into a Seward apartment last week, but it doesn't feel like home.
     "It's a weird feeling," Jimmy said. "Everything I ever owned is gone."
     A Jan. 16 fire went unnoticed for more than an hour, destroying the home west of Staplehurst that they rented for four years along with everything the couple owned, all while they were at work.
     "I found out when it was already gone, basically," Jimmy said. "We're still trying to get over the shock of it. It totally changes everything.
     "The biggest deal was our cat was in there. That's the most devastating thing."
     From deer heads to high school memorabilia to athletic medals and trophies to their wedding bands, much of what the fire consumed is irreplaceable.
     "The money is nothing," he said. "It's the stuff that is not worth anything that you've collected all your life."
     Before they found their new apartment, Jimmy and Renee stayed with Jimmy's parents near Seward and he said they have appreciated the support shown them by family friends and the community.
     "The community and everybody's been really, really supportive," he said. "It's hard. What do you say, you know?"
     Regardless of the level of support, the Soukups are learning that starting over from scratch is overwhelming.
     "You're basically reborn," he said. "You have nothing to give your kids. You have nothing to show for yourself. It's a weird feeling.
     "When you're born you have nothing and that's where we're at."