Praying for those affected

I feel like an even bigger POS now than I did last week when I made that post about being fascinated by tornados.

Ugh, the devastation that was caused Wednesday night has had me in tears multiple times. So many peoples lives were turned upside down in a matter of minutes. Lives were lost so quickly. My heart breaks for every single person affected by those storms.

We were so fortunate to not get the brunt of the storm. We just had your normal run of the mill thunderstorms in Marietta. But realizing I was watching the lighting, from my front porch, of the storms passing just north of us filled with tornados didnt really hit me until the next day.

A guy I work with lives up in Jasper. As soon as I realized they were headed that way I sent him a few text messages telling him to be safe and that it was close. I didnt hear anything more from or about him until the next day when I got to work. His home was destroyed. The tornado passed right over his home. The home that he has been working so hard on fixing up. The home he goes to every night. Where he helps raise his daughter. Trees fell on it. The tornado uprooted some gigantic trees. Destroyed his barn. His carport is gone. Probably in someone elses yard. He has pieces of his neighbors houses laying right in front of his house. When he was in the office this morning showing us his pictures, before and after, it took everything I had to keep from crying. Who am I to cry?! Im not the one who lost so much. Who's life was just turned upside down. I dont know how he is so strong. I'd be a complete mess if I were in his shoes.

He had enough time to put a shirt on before it hit. Wow. So quickly these things come and leave such a mark. All that is left of his next door neighbors house is a single room! Happens to be the room the family was in. Thank God they picked the right room to seek shelter. One family in Georgia had their daughter, along with her bed, ripped out of her bedroom by a tornado and thrown into the yard. Thank God she ended up ok, minor injuries. But, holy moly. Cant imagine the fear in that mamas heart realizing what just happened but then realizing how lucky that girl was.

I pray for all of those who lost family members, their homes, their jobs. Anything. That they can find some sort of peace from this. Im sure it is so so difficult to look at this and try and see any "the glass is half full" kind of moments. I just hope they are able to handle all the things that they are going to have to deal with in the coming days, weeks, months, even possible years. Good luck to everyone.

Ill be helping out however I can this weekend. Im trying to think of something to do to raise money. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated :-)

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