Tornadoes, Thanksgiving, and Prayers

On Wednesday, April 27, our area was hit with a series of violent storms. The first line of storms hit about 9 a.m., the second about 3 in the afternoon, the third about 6 p.m., and the fourth and final about 8 p.m. The Weather Channel had said that morning that tornadoes were "likely." Not just possible, but LIKELY. I had never seen that before, and I am the daughter of a hard-core weather junkie. I have lived in tornado prone Denver, and in the Southern tornado alley half of my life. But this day was not going to be like any other.

Death and destruction are all around us. Numerous towns around us have been devastated. Many lives have been lost. Many more have been injured. Hundreds of homes have been obliterated. Countless others have been damaged. Looking back, my co-workers and I were very foolish. Our weather radio had been sounding tornado warnings since we arrived at the office at 8 that morning. We went and stood by the safe room, but never really heeded the warnings. God was very merciful to us. We later learned a funnel cloud had been seen very near us.

My husband was at the doctor when the 6 o'clock storms hit, and I was home alone. Our power had been out since about 9 that morning, so I couldn't follow the storms on TV or the Internet. The wind began to howl again, and then large hail began to fall. They were larger than golf balls...closer to a tennis ball at a 2" diameter. I went to the window(which I later thought was stupid!) to check on my car and began praying for the Lord to stop the hail and protect my car and our house.

God had mercy, and my prayers were answered. The hail only lasted a few seconds, and while it sounded like gun shots on the roof, the hail stones seemed to be missing my car!! I had no dimples on the hood or roof of my car. I laughed because I was so shocked and happy!! ( Oh me of little faith.) One tail light was cracked, but that was trifling compared to what could have been. The roof of our house could have been damaged, but was o.k. My husband's doctor's office was nearby. He had been huddled to safety in an inner room, while I was hiding in our bathroom. His car had suffered no damage from the hail, either!!

We had no electricity for 3 days. We had bathed before the storms hit the first day. We had warm water the second day and were able to bathe. The third day the water was cold, so I had a chilly sponge bath. We lost all our food in the fridge and freezer. We lost a few limbs off of trees in the yard. We had a few inconveniences. We have suffered NOTHING compared to those who have lost loved ones or their homes. We have so much for which to be thankful!!! Our job now is to pray, to help, and to give to those who have suffered so much.

Boxes, Part Deux

In addition to clearing out clothes, knick-knacks, papers, books, et cetera, I have been cleaning things around the house that needed some TLC. I cleaned our white mailbox and post, cleaned out the lint trap and dryer vent, cleaned the heat pump vent, and cleared out the gutters. My main focus is getting rid of STUFF, but it feels good to do some Spring cleaning along the way. My job is very demanding. We are in one of the busiest locations in our entire corporation, and we always seem to be short-handed. Working full time, plus regular chores, bills, cooking and dishes, and these projects is tiring, but getting some long needed work done is energizing!!

We also had some fun cat sitting for a friend and dog sitting for a family member. We don't have a pet of our own right now for several reasons, so it's been fun to spend some time with their animals.

I did take some time to do some things for myself. I got a new haircut and touched up the grays (ahem.) I also got a mani/pedi...it was good to get rid of those scary winter feet! For my birthday I had some yummy seafood and saw "The King's Speech" with my DH. It made getting a year older a little less painful!!


Fourth car load:
2 boxes of magazines to recycling.
1 box of cardboard to recycling.
1 box of computer paper to school.

Plus: Filled the trash can again!

Boxes!

First car load:
1 box of books to the used bookstore. (Made almost $9.00!)
1 box of clothes to the charity shop.
1 box of tchotchkes to the charity shop.
2 borrowed books back to the owner.

Second car load:
1 box of paper to recycling.
1 box of magazines to recycling.
1 box of cardboard to recycling.
1 box of household goods to the charity shop.
1 candelabra (and globes) to the charity shop.

Third car load:
1 box of children's books to the charity shop.
1 box of paper to the recycling center.

Plus: FILLED the trash bin to overflowing (TWICE!!!)

Letting go feels good. (It has taken a long time to get to this point.)