Overwhelmed by Tornadoes

Today wasn't a work day (at my day job) so I intended to share with you some of the goodies I brought home from Quilt Market last week. Instead, I sat transfixed in front of the TV. The Weather Channel gave a moment-by-moment description of tornadoes tearing through Missouri again today, threatening to hit Joplin a second time and narrowly missing Kansas City.

I've never been in a tornado and until a month ago never been anywhere near one. But in April, Quilt Queen Patricia and I spent two weeks in Missouri and Kansas to attend the Round Robbin quilt show in Springfield, MO. One night we overhead the desk clerks at our hotel talking to each other about 'the tornado' and I thought I better find out what was going on. Turns out we were in the distant sites of the killer tornado that tore through Arkansas.

That night I discovered the Weather Channel. Reassured by the clerks downstairs that we would be alerted in time to scramble downstairs and huddle in the laundry room if needbe, I pulled up the covers around me and watched the TV experts, for the first time, describe the path of a killer tornado. We were never in any real danger, but just in case I slept in my clothes for a fast get-away.

We shrugged off the storm and continued our tour of the midwest; we stayed in Joplin one night; went to church in Springfield; we visited friends who live in Kansas' infamous tornado alley and until this week, no one I met had been in a tornado.

Now it's different. An entire town is blown away and so many lives shredded.

I need to tell someone that I fell in love with the people there, and the beauty of the countryside. My heart aches for everyone hurt by this immense tragedy. My prayers are for comfort, for safety, for feeling the tangible proof that God cares for you, and for the warmth of knowing the arms of an entire nation surrounds you.

Especially mine.