This is just the beginning

I can honestly say that since I last blogged, I pressed the pause button on my life.

I barely paid some of my bills on time, I have spent almost no money, watched a TV show, nor read a single book...chapter even.

In case you've been living under a rock, the south was nailed with some of the biggest storms we've seen in decades. In the state of TN, Bradley County has the most deaths-9-and Obama just declared our county, as well as 3 others in TN (I think), federal disaster areas.

We are out of school all next week although the city goes back tomorrow. Two of our county schools were significantly damaged, one of which may not recover at all. I will share my own personal storm story at another time, but right now, I'm lucky to get energy from my fingertips.

I'm physically exhausted, but my brain won't stop. I lay in bed and just see images, and people, and relive moments. 2 confirmed tornadoes touched ground but I am CONFIDENT we had more considering the damage. The areas affected were my students therefore I do take this very personally.

Two things that make this situation significant for me: number one-if you know me well then you know I was terrified of storms when I was little. (I actually think I just mentioned this in a previous blog, pre-storm...???) Like-absolutely. terrified. I would hear thunder in the middle of the night and would literally be out of bed so fast and running to the basement, that I would barely be awake. I was TERRIFIED of them... spefically tornadoes. Yet at the same time, I was so fascinated with them.

secondly-my mother has worked for Men and Women of Action for 15 years, I think? They are a disaster relief, rebuilding non-profit through the Church of God. This kind of stuff is what they DO. They travel all over the world and throughout the US to disasters or rebuilding projects, but this is all new territory because we've never had quite a disaster like this in our own area. MWOA is struggling in getting to Alabama and Georgia because we have such destruction here.

I should be asleep.... but writing here is therapeutic for me. I suppose I want people to know that anytime you can attach a person, face, relationship to a disaster-it changes everything.

I hugged necks today of people I would have NEVER met in my life...

I heard a lady tell her story of how she and her daughter literally rolled down her steps when her windows started popping...

I watched a deaf man communicate and ask for help, a place to stay, food, anything he could get out....

I had a lady tell me her husband needed counseling because he's in such shock and is struggling so badly from it all...

I also watched one of my cheerleaders come volunteer with her mother... and I watched a man grill for literally 8 hours solid over 1000 hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. as to which he did yesterday and is doing again tomorrow...

I still claim God's goodness. Come volunteer with MWOA this week.