The Worst Tornado Day I Can Remember!

I'm praying today that many missing people in the aftermath of yesterday's tornado events in the US will be found alive today as daylight makes searching possible. We live in Alabama, and we spent all day listening carefully to all the weather news and went to our "safe place" in the basement for several hours yesterday evening. We had 3 wind events pass over us yesterday. The early morning one may have been a straight line event, but 2 tornadoes passed close to us last night. We were extremely fortunate, but we know people who lost everything. At least they are alive.

One of the hardest hit by the mile wide tornado that went across 3 states was Tuscaloosa, but it apparently did not hit the University of Alabama with any significant damage. The hospital in Tuscaloosa is working on emergency generators, and they are moving patients to other hospitals as soon as they can. Cullman was hit by 4 tornadoes yesterday! And the north side of the biggest city in the state, Birmingham, was also damaged badly. Areas south of Birmingham were also hit by the first wave of high wind events early yesterday morning. There have already been 131 confirmed deaths in the state, and I'm sure the number will go up. Over a million people in Alabama are without power today.

Our Huntsville daughter and her family are OK, except for not having power. One of our news reports said some transmission lines from the Brown's Ferry Nuclear Plant were hit, so it may be several days before they get their power back. We heard from them this morning, and they are grilling the food from the freezer. They'll be camping out for awhile it looks like. They are in the process of shutting down the nuclear plant, too, just as a safety precaution, so that will delay power to many as well.

We do know of one person raised in our church who lives in Pleasant Grove whose house doesn't have two sticks standing. All her family is safe. Praise God!

I do have many memories of terrible tornado events in all the years I've lived in Alabama, so maybe it's my age showing, but I don't think I've ever been as worried about tornado warnings as I was yesterday. You could just hear the urgency in the voice of the weather men - NOT the usual hype. So, we spent the day getting our basement place ready for us to spend the night, if necessary.

We have been so blessed, but I'm grieving for all those who have lost family members and hurting for those who cannot find their loved ones. I pray they feel the peace that only God can give in times like this.

Finally Cool Weather

It's finally cooling off here in Alabama, after a particularly hot summer. It is supposed to warm back up to the 80's in the next few days, though, so we're not through with summer temperatures just yet.

It's been really fun the last few days, as it really has felt like football weather outside. I remember going to games as a teenager and being all bundled up with layers of sweatshirts and coats and shared blankets. And we were still cold. Of course, the shared blankets were partially an excuse to cuddle up to the current sweetheart in public, but we really were cold.

For the last few years there has hardly been a reason to even wear a heavy coat until maybe the end of the season. Now don't get me wrong; it does get raw cold in Alabama. It's just we get our really cold weather in January through March. I remember a Valentine's date my now hubby and I had that was snowed out. So I'm not saying all this as a defense of those who believe in Global Warming. I will admit, though, that there does seem to have been a climate shift over my lifetime. And I'm nearing 70 years old now, so I do have some perspective on the matter. Not that 70 years means much in Earth Years!! The span of the whole human race is just a blip on the radar in God's time table.

It's no wonder the Bible tells us that a day is as a thousand years and a thousand years is as a day. (2 Peter 3:8 (King James Version) But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.) God's timetable is not ours. He sees everything from a perspective we aren't capable of comprehending. So, as I reminisce about Fall weather over the last 60+ years, I am reminded of a lesson about how brief our time on this earth really is.

I pray that I use my time wisely.