Tornadoes

Our family made it through another tornado warning just fine yesterday, although others in the area were hit hard. We're getting used to the warnings, although it's a little cramped trying to fit the 8 of us into the bathroom. It really wasn't as bad as it might sound - we took the radio so we could listen for updates but kept the volume really low, and I read a couple of chapters aloud from a book we've been reading together.

We were actually out trying to vote when the weather started getting bad. This was the first election since we moved last year, so we didn't really know where the polling place was (a rural fire station), and we spent more time driving around on lonely country roads than we planned to. The rain really hit while we were voting, and the sky was incredibly dark as we drove home. Beverly and I were praying quietly but fervently, and I imagine some of the children were too. Looking out across the fields, I expected to see a funnel cloud but never did.

As we pulled into the driveway, they put our county under a tornado warning (meaning a tornado had been spotted nearby). It was such a relief to be home. We ate supper quickly and then went to the bathroom for our read-aloud time.

I drove past some of the destruction on my way to work today. It's hard to describe how bad things look, but I guess most people have seen the pictures on the news, so you know what it looks like. The assisted living home where Beverly's grandmother lived for a couple of years had significant damage. The wing where Grandmother lived had the roof torn off and one of the walls was gone. I feel so sorry for all of those elderly residents who lost what little they had left. Union University (Lambuth's cross-town rival) had a dorm destroyed and other severe damage. I still find it amazing that no one was killed there. Rather than protecting them from the storm, I guess God was with them through the storm.