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
In My Garden 