"Home being a relative term"

That is a direct quote from my youngest, B.  It came out of her mouth on Monday as I parked the car in the garage and said, "We're home!"

See, we weren't really parking in our garage in our home.  We were parking in a friend's garage in a friend's home - a very generous friend who is out of town and said we could stay there.  So it is "home" for now, but it isn't really "home" - hence, home being a relative term.

We want to be in our own home, but there's a bit of a problem.  We were hit by a tornado last Friday night.  We are safe, and the damage is relatively minor, but work needs to be done before we can move back in. 

This is my first tornado.  I think I am actually more afraid dealing with the consequences and the unknowns afterwards than I felt during the storm.  Had I known better I probably should have been afraid during the storm.  The sky had that green cast you hear about with an incredibly eerie calm to the trees plus lots of lightening.  Your typical storm has gray to dark clouds with lots of wind, so this was like nothing I'd ever seen up close before.  And the combination of the 3 happening together plus warning sirens made me grab B and head to the basement.  We have a basement garage, so we sat in the car and waited for the storm to blow over, trying to catch weather on the radio where possible.  Within about 3 - 5 minutes, the car started to shake.  That was an interesting experience - one I don't anticipate feeling again - sitting in a car in a closed basement garage with strong enough wind to shake the car.  The power went out and we were in darkness except for car dome lights and flashlights.

After it was over I left B in the car and went to see what was happening.  My first clue something was odd were the tree limbs in my bedroom windows.  The force had knocked the screens in.  My next clue was the wet hallway.  My hallway is not usually wet.  So I went to the front door to look outside.  Even in the dark I could see enough damage and debris around me that I remember thinking, "Oh, this is what it looks like on TV when they show damage after a tornado.  I wonder if we had a tornado." 

We could not get my car out of the garage that night due to the debris in the driveway, so my daughter, S, came and picked us up after work.  She couldn't drive all the way, so we had to walk to her car, about 1/2 a mile or so away.  Thankfully there was power and no damage at her place, so we spent the night there. 

Side story to this whole event...as soon as I get to the basement,  I receive a work email about a production problem.  Such is the nature of my job.  I do system support, so I can get asked to help at any time.  I sent back a quick reply that I could not help since I was sitting in the basement due to weather.  Emails continued to go back and forth among the 3 folks working to resolve the problem, and I eventually was able to tell 'em about the tornado.  Of course they were kind and understanding and one person offered to let us come there if need be.  Once I arrived at S's place, I said that would not be necessary and found out that the problem was still just that - a problem.  So I logged in and took a look.  I was pretty much wide awake at that point anyway, so why not, right?  Thankfully I was still in shock, so that helped me find the problem.  Had I tried an hour or so later or even the next day after the shock had worn off, I probably wouldn't have been any help.  Shock is a funny thing.  It is surprising what you can get done while in shock.

The next two days are somewhat of a blur - lots of waiting, some clean up, fatigue plus celebrating Easter as a family at S's apartment.  My oldest son was also traveling back from California, hoping to land late Sunday eve at the airport that had also been hit by the same tornado, so there was a good dose of concern thrown into the mix. 

By Sunday eve, B and I had moved into our "home being a relative term" home.  It really is a blessing - a bit of a God thing, if you will.  We just happened to have the keys to her place already.  We've maybe only had the keys to her place one other time when she was out of town.  So why now?  I guess Someone knew we'd need them.

Do I know what tomorrow holds?  Nope.  I know what I plan for tomorrow, but ya know, I didn't know what Friday night held.  I thought I knew, but sure enough, I didn't.  And ya know what?  It's still not an 8.9 earthquake and tsunami aftermath that I'm dealing with.  And I'm still a marble snob.  I didn't lose the marble slab or the marble rolling pin.  And maybe, just maybe, the telling of this story in this blog is a bit like writing my blessings in stone - recording it to remind myself how much I have to be thankful for - our safety, family, and a home to stay at...home being a relative term and all...

So even though I am afraid, unsure of myself and how the insurance plays out or the timing of the repairs or when we can move back in, it's all ok.  I am confident of this; I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. 

Oh and here's one final blessing or silver lining out of this whole thing.  I had set a goal to clear out the freezer by the end of May ready to start baking my daughter's wedding and groom's cakes.  Well, now I'm a month ahead of schedule!