So I get back from a great Easter break with the kids, and starting to get back into some normal routine since my March 10th accident, and guess what happens?
My dad is all excited about our new house in Greene County TN. He's renovating, getting the yard in order, and making progress. Yesterday afternoon he texted me about the first day using a new ride on mower, and how the property now looks like a park. "You're gonna love it!" he tells me.
Then I get a call at midnight last night, and right away I knew something was wrong. He was really stressed and tells me about the tornado.
A big tree fell across the truck, onto the house and garage, and a branch came through the ceiling into the living room, as he was backed up against the wall. The noise was awful, and he felt the pressure suck the air right out of the house. There was no power, of course.
With difficulty, our relatives from Telford made their way south to pick up my dad in the middle of the night.
Today we found out 7 people were killed just up the road. Lots of injured and damage.
Lots of trees that made our property so beautiful to us were knocked down by the tornado. Several trusses of the roof are broken by the fall of the big tree.
As some of you may know, my father's family is North Carolinian since the 1730's. I was raised in western New York. When he put my name next to his on the deed to that little house on the creek just a couple of weeks ago, it was the first time that I ever owned a piece of land in the South. And where my heart is is no mystery to anyone who reads my blog.
Really sad, but what happened to us is really nothing compared to some folks just up the road.
The insurance should pay for the repairs, eventually. The trees will grow back in time. I thank G-d he wasn't hurt physically.
I hope my dad will try to see the glass half full: the trees were beautiful and enhanced the privacy of the place, but at least we have a clear view of the Smokies, for a while.
The best of luck.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear your property got hit, Brother. But glad your Father is safe. Nature grows back, family doesn't.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brock. Thanks, Firebrand.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate your thoughts and wishes.
Watching from a distance I feel more than compassion. My heart breaks and eyes tear. You realize how much you love the South, my father's homeland, when you witness the destruction and feel it rip you inside out.
ReplyDeleteYet, I know that God strengthens those that He loves, in mysterious ways. The trees would all be weak were it not for the adversity they face. So it is with His own! May He bless and comfort all those that have been afflicted and especially those that have lost loved ones!!