After the Storm

It has been a day and a half since Alabama was slammed with furious storms that raged across the state, leaving a path of unprecedented destruction. Our neighborhood is now speckled with roof shingles, tufts of insulation from buildings, and even large sheets of metal. One of our neighbors found a checkbook in her yard with a Tuscaloosa address inscribed on the checks, which had clearly traveled fifty miles through the air.

About twenty minutes before the massive tornado hit Birmingham, we made the decision to go to our next door neighbors' basement instead of our own. Our house is constructed of wood, and theirs is made of very thick stone. We were the Three Little Pigs hiding from The Big Bad Wolf.

La sat in the basement closet with her best friend, contentedly munching a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, entirely oblivious to the danger looming just miles away. Which is exactly how it should be.

I, however, have never been so frightened in my life. And I'm sure it was evident in the look on my face. Luckily Dr P and Kim (the mom next door) held their $!*# together like professional danger bluffers while I sat on the floor clutching my churning stomach.

We are very fortunate to have been spared from being in the direct path of the monsterous tornado that traveled more than 180 miles across our state. At one point the newscaster said that residents of our neighborhood, Homewood, needed to brace themselves because the tornado would likely be hitting us at 6:02 pm. Fortunately for us, at about 5:55, the same newscaster announced, "Homewood, you're in the clear." The tornado took a path to the north and missed us by a couple of miles.

Yesterday La and I took a stroll through our backyard to check on our garden, and as I gazed at our untouched plants and watched my precious child happily pick the tree berries out of the dirt, I was reminded once again that we are just so fortunate.







Our thoughts and prayers are with our neighbors in Alabama and across the Southeast who have lost their family members, their homes and their businesses. May God somehow bless you in this tragic time.