Tuesday night was like any other weeknight. I went to bed by midnight and was asleep very soon. I was awakened by the wind and got up to close my windows as a storm approached. Around 1:00am my cell phone rang and it was one of those calls anybody would dread. It was my youngest sister calling, in shock, in the dark, and afraid to move. At first she couldn't understand what happened. She got up to close her windows and as soon as she did, she was knocked to the ground, with rain pouring on her head. Dave and I jumped in the truck and drove over to her "war zone" neighborhood. It's hard to believe you can go to bed at night and wake up homeless....
This is what her house looks like now. Her roof was completely ripped off. While it's always nice to see the sun shining in your kitchen in the morning, this is not the way you would like to have it.
Or in your bathroom......
The destruction that happened in a few minutes time is unbelievable. We really take Mother Nature for granted. Part of her roof was over, on top of the house across the street. Her belongings in the attic are God knows where.... Her whole neighborhood looked like that. Mature trees split down the middle. Scattered patio furniture, trampoline in the street, jagged metal and shingles all over, everything was covered in pink cotton candy insulation. A few quick calls to my other four sisters and they were all there, with husbands and boxes and trucks to save what we could. We tried to work fast as the ceilings in the back bedrooms were getting lower with the weight of the rain soaked plaster. My sister will be alright. We found her a new place to live while they tear down her home and rebuild a new one. It's only "stuff". Stuff can be replaced. It's a blessing no one was hurt. We are thankful for that.
words for the day....
When you have family, you have everything. No family is perfect. Some families argue. They fight. They even stop talking to each other at times, but in the end, family is family. The love will always be there.
p.s... when we were all done cleaning up, we were sitting on my sister's porch, watching the whole neighborhood, picking up, raking, helping one another. A car pulled up and a man got out with a case of Miller 64 and brought it to us. He said "It's the least I can do". Total stranger... random act of kindness. Sweet.
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