TORNADO

I have lived all my life in “tornado alley”.

Yet, I have never been directly affected by one.

Thursday, April 23 was as close as I have ever been

To this unbelievable force of nature.

As a child we would watch the storm clouds

Until they got close.

Then we would dive into a neighbor’s cellar.

There was only one cellar in the area

It was crowded.

So, my parents waited till the very last minute

To go.

That always made me nervous.

The advances in storm prediction

Now tell us the exact minute the storm will hit.

I still go to the basement when the sky turns green.

John never goes.

Not even that Thursday

When a tornado hit the south edge of town.

About 3 miles due south of our house.

My friend Kay was not so lucky. 

She is fine.

Her home is gone. 

As is much of her neighborhood. 

Sirens filled the air

Long after the storm passed.

People were trapped in the rubble.

And the rain kept coming.

Fortunately, everyone survived.

People always talk about how quickly

Tornadoes hit.

This one stayed on the ground

For 40 minutes.

Covering 15 miles.

Categorized as an EF4

Meaning winds of 170 – 175 miles an hour.

The pictures look like something Hollywood

Or AI created.

But they are real.

As is the damage.

Kay rode out the tornado

In her closet

With her cat.

The force of the storm

Moved her foundation 15 feet

While she was in the closet.

She has been through a lot lately.

And has worked hard to recover

So, she could continue to do the things she loves.

Faith Farm is one of those things.

She comes every week

Earlier than most.

She delights in entering our produce

In the county fair each fall.

And was thrilled when our winnings

Came to $96.00 last year.

The Sunday after the storm a few of us from Faith Farm

Went to help clean up as best we could.

It was hard to even figure out

Which street was hers.

Let alone find her house.

Volunteers were everywhere

Helping people sort through what was their home.

Some of us know Kay

Others are just good-hearted people

Spending their weekend

Helping people pick up the remnants of their lives.

Two of those women turned out to be

A mother and daughter I had known years ago

When the daughter Emily

Was in the tutoring program at my church.

Life in a small town has a way of reconnecting us

Over the decades.

Emily found the bottom half of a little ceramic piece.

She kept it determined to find the head.

A few hours later another volunteer found that head

In a different area.

Turns out it was an angel given to Kay

When she gave birth to her daughter.

Little miracles.

Little acts of kindness.

Little acts of love.

Kay was back at Faith Farm on Monday morning

Seeking “normalcy”.

She brought Pup with her.

Pup spent 40 hours trapped in her laundry room.

Until someone discovered her

While cleaning up the rubble.

Pup is now the mascot

For Faith Farm.

And Kay is there

Helping hungry neighbors.

Little miracles.

Little acts of kindness.

Little acts of love.

Gail