Harvest AL Tornado 4/27/11

After the Tornados hit us on April 27th, 2011, many people have looked at pictures and tell me" the pictures speak volumes"... yet as day by day we drive through our neighborhood, taking children to school, visiting friends and neighbors without power, going to work... we look at the footage and media and think "the pictures dont do justice." Trying to capture what we are really seeing is virtually impossible. I took a picture driving down the road less than 1/2 mile from the house. The basics, when looking at the picture, people see a few power lines on the road, a downed power pole, and some broken trees. What we see is so very much different. Its not what IS there in the pictures that tells the real story, its what isn't there. Missing from the pictures are the power poles that typically line our streets, the tall 100 year old trees that are now uprooted and reduced to broken sticks, the lush tree lines that wound throughout our community are no longer, the absence of homes, cars, fences, and childrens play yards. The raw naked truth...its not what you see, but what you dont. If this isnt difficult enough to bare, listening to commentary inside the car makes the drive all the more difficult. My 10 yr old daughter gasps and cries as we pass her friends home that is no longer standing. My 17 year old son murmuring "Oh my gosh Mom" over and over as we pass by destroyed homes of neighbors and fellow church members. The utterences of shock and dismay as we realize that littering the ground is a whole housing community that has no signs of houses having ever been there.

Our hearts ache as we see our beautiful community reduced to what now resembles a trash dump. We all seem to be waiting for the other shoe to drop.... wondering if we can breathe again and really start picking up the pieces. We all tense as we hear that another storm is on the way... afraid of what it will be and what it will do to our already damaged homes. We are afraid to put our generators away, our 72 hour emergency kits, and put our homes back in the best order we can because we are all still very much shaken and afraid. This is OUR HOME, where we are supposed to feel safe... and now... our state, a place we Love.... so much of it is beaten down, broken, or simply gone. One cant help but wonder, where do we start?

As tough Alabamians, we will pull up our boot straps, continue to press forward, rebuild and replant, because we are Alabama Proud. So I ask you please, as you look at footage on the news, pictures on the internet, you tube videos... keep in mind, these are just pictures to you but they are our home, and so many in our state are hurting. Try to see what shouldve been in the pictures and not just what our homes, businesses, churches, and schools were reduced to, merely a week ago. Then take a moment, pause, and try to think about how you would feel if it were your community. Maybe then, you can fully and truly understand what you are seeing in the pictures you are viewing.

Know that we send our Love and prayers to out everyone. And if you ever need to find any of us, we will still be here, in Harvest Alabama. Because this is our Home.... and we arent leaving.