Storm Devastation all around, yet so unbelieveably blessed...

  We just got our phone/ power/ internet back on here in Alabama, and I am posting this to let you all know we are ok. I just wanted to take a moment and ask for prayers and tell a little that has happened in our area. I live in a very rural Alabama community. We are very fortunate to be alive. We were in the basement when the tornadoes went over. As the tornado passed over, our basement doors flew open and the lights went out. It was terrifying. Just over the hill from here, a church and many houses were literally flattened. A few miles up the road, a family was under their house, in the crawl hole, when the house was literally sucked into the tornado. The only reason that they were not sucked up, as well, is because they were holding onto roots that were in the ground where they were laying. I have heard so many heartbreaking stories just like this one. As I was driving around earlier, the reality of it all brough tears to my eyes. My heart goes out to the poor, poor victims.
   After the power came back on, I turned the tv to TWC. What I saw was overwhelming. The 2 main towns they were featuring when I began watching were Tuscaloosa, Al & Ringgold, Ga. I have very close loved ones who live in of each of those towns. Jeff's 2 children attend the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa & my brother and his wife & children live in Ringgold. They are ALL fine, only by the Grace of God! PTL! As the huge tornado approached The UofA, Taylor, Jeff's daughter, sent me a text saying she was stranded on campus alone and was SCARED. She was leaving the campus when a friend called and convinced her to stay where she was. She was in the hallway of a building. Her brother was a mile away at her apartment complex, yet they could not get to one another. The mile that separated them was FLATTENED. If Taylor had left the building like she was about to do instead of staying there, she would have been directly in its path. The mile-wide MONSTER tornado obliterated entire blocks within seconds. It has been a very stressful and overwhelming couple of days, so I may not be posting much for a little while, or I could be posting more, as sort of therapy, so just please bear with me. My brother's house had several trees fall on top of it. He was inside in the hallway, with his family. They are all ok and the house is as well! Praise the Lord! It is amazing how the storm covered such a huge area, yet I had very close loved ones in the middle of each of these locations, as was I. Our state and county has been declared a National disaster zone. I feel so helpless, as devastation surrounds me. Taylor has remained in Tuscaloosa to help with the cleanup there and found the body of a child last night. I cannot imagine how traumatizing that must have been. Please pray for her and for her brother, and for my brother and his family. Please pray for everyone in the 19 Alabama counties and seven states who have been affected by these tornadoes.

   As of right now the death toll from these storms is at 340, making it second-deadliest tornado outbreak in U.S. history. Experts suggest the mile wide tornado stayed on the ground to cut a path three states wide, from Mississippi to Georgia.
   This disaster is heartbreaking. I feel so very blessed right now. I have a home. I have the peace of knowing the location of all of my loved ones. I am alive and uninjured, as is my family! Many were not so fortunate. I have many things to do, but I will try to get some of the projects I have been working on posted very soon! If you or your family has been affected by any of these storms, I am praying for you. Just know that things will get better. This really puts the little things in life into perspective. Go hug your loved ones. If you don't have much, appreciate what you have, and make the best of it. Things can always be worse. Below are a few photos of the destructed areas I mentioned.
*If you would like to donate to the relief efforts you can text REDCROSS to 90999. This will donate $10 and add it to your phone bill.

http://www.myfoxal.com/story/14532637/southern-storms-toll-surpasses-300-deaths

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Dato=20110428&Kategori=FRONTPAGE&Lopenr=428009998&Ref=PH&pl=1

A few Photos of Tuscaloosa damage

Homes and Business destroyed along University Blvd

Shopping Center in Tuscaloosa where Hobby Lobby and Bog Lots were located



Rosedale Court Housing Community in Tuscaloosa. These photos came from The Tuscaloosa News.

Damage within a few miles of my home










Ringgold, Ga