The Sky Opened.

Saturday night, our town, was hit by a Tornado.
We, were not home.
Our children, will not have a lasting fear of this storm.
Unfortunately, several areas, in our community suffered severe damage.
Homes have been destroyed, precious belongings have been lost, beautiful old trees have been toppled and mess has fallen from the sky.
Thankfully, only a small handful, have been hurt.


(The home of a family friend.
The stage, for past wedding memories.)



(The Golf Course. Had the Tornado remained this strong, only 5 miles further, our neighborhood would have been lost.)




(Our porch swing. We found a large piece of siding, wrapped under and then back around, the base of the seat. How does that happen?)


(The cover to an Encyclopedia, I have found the pages all over our yard.)


(The start, to the pile of items, cleaned from our yard. Notice the green, from the brand new high school roof. The large, thick piece of wood, found neatly on our patio. I could not, place the red roofing and yellow tube. Until I saw the following photos.)


(The children's baseball complex. Located several blocks from our home.)




(The high school.)




(The home, located 3 houses, down from us. This extends all the way through the roof, ceiling and rests on their kitchen floor.)


(This house, is located barely one block over. As we took this picture, many volunteers were moving their belongings out.)


(The Mobile Home Court. Completely destroyed.)

We have spent hours today, filling bags with small pieces of homes. We have gathered countless slivers of siding, plywood, shingles, papers from books, a broken CD, shards of glass, handfuls of insulation. I am awe struck, over what a Tornado, is capable of.

The damage to our property, lists as follows:
1 broken rim from a downed basketball hoop.
1 missing white bucket.
A few, very filthy mud splattered windows.
Branches down.
Bark ripped from trees.
24 hours, spent without Power.

That. Is. It.

I would happily, list that over and over.
I have, several times, to myself.

We were extremely lucky.
Our home, feels very blessed.
We are thankful our neighbors and family from Grandma's....extending all the way to Grammy's, were spared.
We appreciate all of those,
Who:
dropped by to check our home, in our absence.
inquired on us.
offered a generator for our fridge.
delivered a fresh gallon of milk, for the kids.

My heart is full for this community.
To witness the endless line of volunteers, pass our home towards the destruction, as they offered a hand.
Our Village, will not receive a fancy telethon.
Instead, our Midwestern town, will roll up their sleeves, donate clothes from their closets, rally around their own...and endure.
I feel proud.