Random thoughts

I've never had a blog before, so this is all new to me. I'm not really sure where to start, but I was inspired by my neighbor, Miranda Lewis, after the tornado's of May 24, 2011. Miranda writes her thoughts beautifully, and I'm a bit ashamed (make that a lot) that I never got to know her as my neighbor before her home was destroyed by the tornado.

I read Miranda's blog for the first time this evening, and the timing couldn't have been more perfect. Things have been so stressful since the tornado, and I was feeling pretty down today - dealing with the insurance company, the mortgage company - the internet provider - it all gets a bit overwhelming. I needed to read Miranda's blog today. It helped to put a lot of things in perspective for me. I have my moments when I look to God for support, but I have to admit, there are times I forget to do that. I tend to let things build up, until I get to the point I think I'm going to explode. Today was one of those days. I needed to take a step back, and re-realize how lucky, and how blessed I really am. God has been good to me, even in those times I didn't think I deserved it. God is good, and God is there, even when we forget to look to him for comfort. I need to remember that more often. Thank you, Miranda, for reminding me of that.

This has been a stressful time for a lot of people. I don't think I'm special in that regard. I do realize how lucky I am - I still have my home, and most of our belongings. The house sustained some damage, but thankfully, it wasn't as serious as we originally thought it was. That, in, and of itself, is a miracle, especially if you could see the damage less than 50 feet from the back of our house. It looks like a war zone.

I've had more than a dozen people tell me how lucky we are, and how thankful I should be, and I am. I will be eternally grateful that we were spared more damage, but that doesn't mean I can't be sad for the things we lost. I AM sad about that, but I'm mostly sad for our neighbors, and our neighborhood. Everything has changed, and it will never be the same. Not in my life-time. The entire landscape that we loved, and yes, took for granted, is ravaged, and sad, and gone. It's so hard to look at that day in, and day out, and not be touched by it. I've cried more tears in the past 3 weeks than I ever thought was possible, and I'm not a person who cries easily. My heart breaks for those who lost their homes, and I send up prayers for them constantly, asking God to help them make it through this difficult time in their lives. I can't imagine what they're going through. I often wonder how we were spared, when so many have lost so much. There has to be a lesson there. I just need to find it.