It's been a few days since writing last, but they've been some interesting days. This past Sunday saw some violent weather roll through which we came to find out later was a tornado. (Pictures to follow in my next blog post) Here is how it played out from my perspective...
It wasn't a typical Sunday in that I was looking forward to relaxing and watching some great college basketball and a potential Tiger Woods comeback. It wasn't long into my settling in that all the channels were interrupted with weather alerts. Thankfully my wife takes this stuff seriously and moved our family to the lower level as the skies got pitch black.
As we moved to the lower level, I decided I should take the dog out before the rain came through. As the dog and I stepped outside, I determined pretty quickly by the look of the sky that this dog better hurry and make his way in or he would be the next Toto from the Wizard of Oz. No sooner had I shut the door with the dog in did the violent winds pick up and the debris start flying. I knew it was bad when I saw a barrel and the side of a neighbor's shed fly through my back yard. I also knew it was bad when it sounded like gunfire hitting the front of our house.
It was an intense 10 minutes that left great damage to our entire neighborhood. As we looked into our back yard, I saw shingles and debris everywhere. The sad part is that they were our shingles and house debris. The hail and violent winds also ripped screens, dented our garage door and put holes in our siding. The entire front of our house that faces west will need replacing. Shortly after the skies cleared all the neighbors began making their way out for a few hours of clean up. I must confess that I had some great conversations and met neighbors that I never knew before. Amazing how hard times can bring the good out in people.
All in all it was quite an experience and we were reminded that our lives rest in the hands of a Sovereign God who allows the rains to fall and the winds to blow. I'll look to share some pics and a wonderful story of how God reminded me of His goodness shortly after our ordeal in some upcoming posts.
3 comments:
I heard the storm Sunday scared Pastor Steve. How can that be when he is from Southern California? How can a little old F-1 tornado scare someone who is used to major earthquakes and wildfires?
Glad you are all okay. We had the same experience here in Lititz and our house had similar damage. We also met one of our neighbors for the first time, even though we've lived across the street from him for several years.
Pastor Scott: Unlike Pastor Steve, I stood by a window the whole time the storm ripped through. Not sure if that's courage or stupidity, but it definitely didn't scare me!!!
Vicki: Thanks for sharing your thoughts. The one good thing about the storm is that it brough us together with neighbors we had never met and together we worked side by side to clean up. Glad to hear you had a similar experience meeting your neighbor.
Post a Comment