My husband said that the storm had hit quickly.  He and my son had just finished getting the yard cleaned up:  everything was ready for the open house when the wind became severe, and the sky grew black.  They went inside, but they were unable to see anything.  They believed that large hail stones were smacking against the deck and the windows, but it was really tree branches being ripped from their limbs.  The wind was so loud, they never even heard the poplar tree fall.

   I walked around the yard in disbelief.  I had heard of catastrophes like this on the radio; I had seen them on television, but one can never fully comprehend how another person feels until it happens to them.  I remember shaking my head over and over again; it just did not seem real.  Nevertheless, the evidence of the storm was laying on the ground right in front of me, and I wondered how we were ever going to get this mess cleaned up.  To say that we were overwhelmled was really an understatement because there were not words to describe the emotions that we were experiencing.

   My gorgeous, sunny day had turned into a nightmare of limbs, branches, leaves and debris throughout the front and back yards, and somehow we had to refocu our attention on tomorrow.  After much discussion, we chose to postpone the open house.  With no electricity, no running water, no way to prepare the food, it was going to be impossible for us to have the party.  I called family and friends to tell them of our decision, and everyone told us to have it at our church.  The Pastor and his wife even insisted.

   Saturday was another nasty day with high winds and rain, but with the help from others, we were able to get the church decorated and the food prepared.  I was not sure if today’s storm would hinder guests from showing up.  I wanted it to be a perfect day for my son, but I had no control over the weather.  People were slow in coming, but eventually, the Church was filled with family and friends celebrating the graduation of my son.  Sometimes, it is not easy to make last-minute decisons, and had we let the storm’s fury get in the way, we would have missed a very important, memorable day in the life of our son.

   Note:  A week later, a work crew from my church came over and helped clean up the overwhelming mess.  They completed in three hours, what would have taken us months.