Tuesday, our week and our lives were turned upside down. The kids were outside early Tuesday morning to feed the animals and milk Reba. I was in the bathroom getting read to go on my morning walk. I heard a really loud crash and thought “Oh man. That was a big wreck on Highway 4.” A few seconds later I heard the door open and a kid running frantically through the house. I then thought, “That wreck must have been really bad for the kids to come tell me so quickly.” Graham was screaming as he got closer to the bathroom. He burst in (he was pale and shaking all over), “Mama, two limbs fell on the shed and I don’t know where the rest of the kids are.” Those seconds between me leaving the bathroom and rushing outside seemed so long. I remember whispering to God, “I trust you.” That was all I could get out. There was panic in my chest and I felt like I was moving in slow motion. By the time I arrived to the front porch, Graham, Madelynn and Zeb were there and Kathryn was walking out of the shed. We were all in shock. Kathryn was standing at the stable with the goats and she was staring at the roof (she was in the shed when the first limb fell) and Graham started screaming for her to move (Graham had been in the shed getting feed moments before the first two limbs fell). He could hear another limb cracking above her head. I yelled at her to open the stable door for the goats and run. She and the goats ran to the pasture as the third limb fell, crushing the stable where she and the goats were standing moments before. (Graham was amazing as the man of the house. He saved Kathryn’s life and I’m so proud of him). By this time two of my kids were screaming and crying and I was holding them trying to calm them down. I immediately called Adam and told him to come home “now.” I then called a friend who has helped us with many limbs on our property. Let me clarify: these “limbs” are the size of large oak trees. We were in the process of scheduling to have them cut down because they loomed way too close to the shed and house. Within 30 minutes, Adam arrived home with a co-worker and 4 more friends had arrived with their chainsaws and tools. It was all hands on deck with men sawing limbs and the rest of us moving debris out of their way. And yes, one of my friends and I were so excited to find a medicinal herb all through the branches of the trees so, of course, we harvested as we cleared debris!

We were amazed that not only were our children safe, all of the animals were accounted for and the limbs missed our family vehicle by inches. Our friends worked hard and I couldn’t believe how fast they cleared and cut the limbs. They were finished a little after lunch and this happened at 7am. Our pastor stopped by to hug and encourage us and we had friends coming and going all day bringing food and love and more tears.

We have a long way to go but again, we are so thankful that everyone is safe. God is good and we are praising Him for His mercy. We are all navigating many different emotions and severe mental and physical exhaustion. But we have so many people walking alongside us through this and we couldn’t be more thankful.