A New View

Behind our house was a row of trees and to the side of us a long fence but the tornado knocked them down and we now have a new view. We now can see further. We can see the pond in the neighbors yard, and we can see the hills behind our house. We can see neighbors homes that have been destroyed by the tornado. We can see things that were blocked from us before. We have learned that along with our new view of our property, we now have a new emotional view of so many things.

An hour before the tornado my family was spending time playing together an hour after tornado we realized how precious that time was.

Before, we liked our neighbors, but we would have thought it would have been an inconvenience to ask them for a cup a sugar. Since last week our perspective has changed. Our neighbors have been like family to us. They have watched our children, help clean up pieces of our roof, fed us meals, carried the kids over glass where it was unsafe to walk, and provide us with encouragement and laughter in a very hard time.

Last Wednesday Nate and I were irritated that the upcoming storm might knock down our garden, now we could care less about the garden and we are glad we are still standing. What at one time was most important has now fallen to the bottom of our list.

Everything has changed for us. We can not sleep in our beds or play toys all over the living room floor, we can not eat at our table or watch movies on our couch, we can not play on the swing set or take a swim in the pool. We have lost so many things, but the people which we do those things with still remain. I am thankful for my family and the my strengthened view of just how precious they are.