Paying it forward- in the unlikeliest of times.

Around 3 a.m. Thursday morning, I sat in the dark as my power had just gone out and I heard it.  It was the second tornado I heard in my life.  And it sounded a little closer than the first one.  I woke my husband who got dressed and we weathered the storm side by side listening to the destruction.  I could hear limbs whapping against my house and I could hear the trees breaking in my yard. 

This photo was taken from my back deck.  As you can see outside the fence line which puts it 10 feet from my house on one side and just 30 feet from my house on the the other side we have trees.  Lots of trees.  I loved my trees.  I got rid of all the pines.  I kept the strong hardwoods.  They let the sun shine in when it is winter and they provide wonderful shade in summer.  And even today, given the opportunity I'd change nothing.  I love my trees.

In a couple more photos I took in January when there was snow on the ground you can see that We had big tall trees in the front yard too.  My drive was a 22 foot wide path cleard through my woods.

We don't even have grass in the woods.  Just up by the road, and close to the house on either side of the front deck, and inside the fence for the dogs.  The woods we just left natural.  We like it. 

This is toward the street from my house and you can more of those trees I love.

I have less of those tress now.

After Don cleared the drive Thursday morning I headed to the office (where we did have power thank goodness) to shower and get ready for work.  Then Donald went and checked on one of my listings and came in to the office and got ready and he went to work as well.  When my duty agent arrived I set out on my "mission"  I checked on my listings.  And then I went into the neighborhood near my office and found the hardest hit homes and hugged my friend.  Her house is wrecked and her screened porch is off her house and down by the lake.  I offered my office to her and her family for showers, coffee, charging their cell phones ect..

Knowing that my damage isn't to the house, storage room, fence or office I knew it would all keep, so I set out to spend the day offering to pay forward to my community. I hope to be planting a few trees in the next week or so.

NOTE: I started writing this post of Thursday.  Tragically the storm turned out not to be the worst part of my day.  That afternoon wesuffered the  loss of 18 year old family member in a wreck.  He was my X husband's nephew, but as much as my daughter loved her cousins I've always thought of them in my heart as my family too.  And I have cried many hours at my daughter's pain and the loss to the entire family. Hunter would have graduated next month.  As I pray for all those who were in the path of the many bad storms that night I also ask that you pray for my family to help us find the strength to keep going.