July 21

Inspiration for me comes from a long-time friend from high school. I was on an emotional rollercoaster after the tornado swept through and took our home. Our home was newly built just eighteen months before the disaster. We sought shelter in a local basement during the storm, just a few minutes from our house. To return home took two hours of winding in and out of debris and devastation. The sun was barely shining over the horizon and I could see the silhouette of what was left of our home. Chaos surrounded us as we drove as far as we could before walking through everything to get a closer look. Natural gas was hissing out of the broken lines, smoke alarms were blaring, people were everywhere surveying the damage. It was chaos. Within minutes the authorities told everyone they had to leave the area; it wasn’t safe. About two-o-clock in the morning we were escorted on foot by police to our home, what was left. Chilling, stepping over power lines, trees, parts and pieces of what used to be something. It was too dangerous to enter it, so we had to leave. It took months to tear it down and rebuild it. Emotions ran through a full gamut during this time. At a lower emotional point I received a phone call from a friend, she wanted me to know that a friend of ours had been fighting cancer and her five-year-old daughter had passed away. The perspective that this brought to my own struggle was shattering. She did survive the cancer and is cancer free. To this day I remember her story and what really matters. Yes, we lost our home, but she lost something that can never be replaced or rebuilt.