Welcome to Missouri weather! This is what it is like, you almost never know what to expect. Somebody I heard of said, "If you don't like the weather, move to Missouri, and it will change in a minute."
Weather here is unpredictable. Last May we had a LAND HURRICANE! Yes, it was weird.
This morning I was attempting to get a little extra sleep, after all, it's New Years Eve. Plus I was awake until like 11:30 and have not slept well the last several nights.
I am going good until like 8:25, and then I hear pounding feet down the hall. Oh man! Pounding feet means,
1: The house is on fire.
2: There is a tornado(yes, I wouldn't be surprised, after all, I have lived in MO almost all of my life).
3: Someone is seriously sick.
4: The ultimate reason, I have to get out of bed!
I was right on answer 2. My older brother comes in and says, "Grace, there's a tornado coming in 20 minutes."
I jump out of bed, put my socks on, and go out. Mom sets me to work filling containers with water in case the power goes out. All of our pitchers are dirty. So I start using pots, heavy pots. I think I have been forgetting my push-ups.
Then back and forth people run, trying to get the bathroom ready for habitation,(unfortunately we don't have basement or storm shelter, people in the old days were smarter)
A few minutes later I hear Dad wants to call some friends to see if we can come over before the storm hits and use their basement. No answer. So next we try the neighbors. They say yes and I go to get dressed.
We drive over and head down to their carpeted basement with leather couches(they're nicer than just about any couches I have ever sat on.) And we sit there watching the TV to see where the storm is heading.
One thing about tornadoes if you don't live in a tornado area, they pop up in a flash, are upon you before you know it, they are swift, violent, and then they are over in about 10 minutes. Another thing that you should know.
The town that I have lived in pretty much all of my life is just about the safest town I know of as far as tornadoes go. We have had scores of tornadoes heading this way, and have been told that we'd better head for high ground, or in this case, low ground. But as long as I have lived in this town, we have never been touched. The tornado always takes a detour around us. One time in went away from us and leveled a smaller lake town several miles away. Many people died, were injured, and without homes. I remember going to a local ministry place and making hundreds of sandwiches to give to the homeless and the workers who were helping them. It was one of the most fulfilling days of my life.
I think one of the reasons that we are safe is because there are a TON of Christians in this town. And I think that God is preserving us for His great plan. It's really neat to see how the tornadoes always go some other place. Not that one won't ever hit us, but for now we are safe.
Of course, I have always wanted to see a tornado from a distance. I love wild and terrifying weather, it is so majestic and glorious. I love wild wind, pounding rain, and waving trees. It is so magnificent, and reveals to me how awesome God is. I almost think that I would rather be proposed to in a wild thunderstorm rather than a soft warm sunset. Wouldn't that be romantic?
