“Now I... I know we're not in Kansas!” ~ Dorothy (Wizard of Oz)

 

Right now it’s black outside, thunder rolling in, severe storm warnings all over the television, news, online, radio…

What a frightening sight… I feel so bad for those who have lost everything and their loved ones to these terrifying storms that are continuing to just sweep over our country.  I have never seen poverty such as I saw when I lived right where the red dot is at the South-end of the State of Illinois.  Our country’s “Heartland” is getting such a beating …and they say this is just the beginning…  

My tornado experiences:

The first time, I sat on a bridge in rush hour traffic, chatting on the phone with my brother, who at the time lived in Seattle.  I looked up and saw a short way away these ribbons coming from the sky into the water, really cool looking “water spouts”… harmless if they remain as water spouts… but they didn’t – they came over and hit land – turning into TORNADOES… they pulled up trees and damaged some homes, but thankfully I wasn’t in the middle of it – and nobody was killed… but I got to see it all happen sitting up high on that bridge.

The second tornado was when I was hurrying to pick up my son because his kindergarten was closing early due to the tornado warnings and bad weather warnings.  As I was flying down the street, everyone came to a huge halt, and I sat there and watched this “wall” go across the road a few feet from the car in front of me… I could not believe my eyes, I could not believe none of us were harmed and there was no damage as we watched a tornado cross the road… by the time I got to the school I was shaking and holding the tears back… and there was my little tow-headed boy jumping into the car all full of excitement because a tornado went through his teacher’s home!!!!!!  Little boys!!!!! Such sweet innocence…poor teacher.

The third tornado was when driving home from Disney World, we were in my little SUV about 10 yrs. ago, my friend, our kids, flying home down the Interstate when we hit some fierce looking storms, and we did not hear the sound of a freight train – instead we felt the air just suck up, out, very strange feeling, and behind us, pulling on my car, goes a tornado across the road… that was scary… I know my son still remembers waking up to wanting to know why we did not wake him up to see it all… he slept through it – how he slept through our screaming is unknown!!!

And, I hope that that is all I ever see or experience….