Sometimes, what you see on the news forces you to pause. At least, it does for me. Having grown up in the Canadian mid-west, I know what tornadoes can do.
I grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. For those who don't know where that is... imagine drawing a line north from eastern Montana. It's a relatively flat area - slight, rolling hills of wheat, dotted with silos. It's a land of big skies... and big weather.
Living through a few minor tornadoes, I can't even begin to imagine what the folks in several southeastern states are coping with.
My childhood memories of tornadoes consist of the dark sky that turns an almost sickly green, the radio announcer giving the warnings, the eerie stillness that precedes the storm, and my mom making little beds for my brother and I in the basement. Before the storm, it was almost fun, playing down in the basement amid quilts and pillows.
You know how kids like to build forts. But, that sense of fun and excitement quickly evolves into the stuff childhood nightmares are made of. Visions of our house being sucked up and when that twister hits would flash through my little mind along with prayers my family wouldn't die.
The sound of the storm is an entirely different monster. It's so loud and frightening - rattling you to your core. What it leaves behind is even worse.
Again, these were minor tornadoes. Nothing like the ones which traced across Oklahoma, Georgia and other states.
My heart goes out to those folks. If you've ever experienced anything like that - let us know. You can always leave your story in the comment area below.
Also,
here's a link to just one of the many newspaper stories that are coming out of that area.