Leadership and You say TorNEIGHdo, I say TorNAHdo (Part 2)
This is part two in a multi-part series.
The wind was wailing and getting louder...
and then even louder...
Sherri yelled "COVER THE KIDS!"
I watched as she jumped full force, body extended, onto Madison, as I did the same on Logan.
and then the noise got even louder...
and we knew that it was here.
Out of my peripheral vision to my left, I saw the walls of the basement begin to buckle and fall in. My total time of seeing it must have been less than one second, but the details that I can remember make it seem longer. I had never seen walls collapse so fast.
The noise was the next component.
There were so many different sounds all playing at the same time.
Sherri was yelling "Lord, please help us! Lord, please help us." (I find it neat that even during a near death experience, Sherri found it wise to use her manners).
Then there was the wind. Everyone you see on TV talks about the sound of a "freight train." I did not find it to sound like that. It was more of a whooshing sound. A very loud continuous whoosh! It was mixed in with rumbles.
Also, as you can imagine, there was the tremendous sound of things falling. We now know that it was trees, and floors, and sub-floors, and glass, and dishes and pots and pans, and bricks and concrete, and refrigerators and furniture. It was all being moved around and up and down. It was a very hard sound to explain...
...until two days later. That was when a backhoe came to our home to try and lift and move our home around so that we could find our things. I was standing next to Steve Brannan, an elder at the Homewood Church of Christ and a good friend.
As we were talking, the backhoe began to crush though portions of the house, making a loud crushing sound.
I leaned over to Steve and said, "That's what it sounded like, but incredibly louder..."
One thing was missing from the noise, and it was screaming. Other than Sherri's early screams, there was nothing from the kids. Both Madison and Logan were silent. I don't know if they were in shock, or just scared, or just being brave...but they were eerily silent.
The noise continued on...
Sherri and I have differing opinions on how long the "event" lasted. To me, it was about 30 seconds. She claims it was more like two minutes. Either way, it seemed like an eternity to both of us.
Everyone has been asking me what I was thinking while it was destroying our house. Both Sherri and I admit that there was no fear.
I never thought I was going to die.
I never worried about this being the end.
I did not see my life flash before my eyes.
Some say that we must have gone into "survival mode." I really didn't feel that way either. I only felt one thing, and that was to protect who I could, which happened to be Logan.
In the movie "The Blind Side", there is a scene where Sandra Bullock's character is discussing Michael Oher's standardized test grades. He scored low on just about every academic standard - except he did score in the 98th percentile in one area...protective instincts.
And that is how I felt. As I laid prostrate over my son, I had nothing on my mind except to keep him covered. My job was to protect him at all costs. In fact, a few days after the tornado, I asked Sherri, "Did you cover your head?"
She admitted she did not. Both of us were too busy covering our kids to cover our own heads.
I think this is how God feels about us as His children. I firmly believe that he wants to protect us and take care of us more than we will ever know.
So the house continues to fall in around us and on us. There was a a large piece of roof/ceiling/wall that was now laying on my back. Although I felt it on me, I never felt it "hit" me.
I never said "Ow" or "Ouch."
It just sort of covered me, as if someone were laying it down gently on my back to protect me from the bricks, cinder blocks and glass that was raining down on top of me.
Authors note: Sherri had the exact same experience. She too was covered and could not move, but has no recollection of how the materials landed on her.
Rick Bradshaw, a good friend and family member, and I led a Sunday School class a few years ago on angels and guardian angels. We did much research and it opened our eyes to the wonders of angels...and it does make me wonder...
After what seemed like forever, the noises came to a hault.
It was silent, and it was dark.
The flashlight was facing away and shining an ever-so-dim light off of the coffee table.
The silence was deafening.
Worry now hit me like a ton of bricks (pun intended). I was only able to protect Logan, and I had no idea what had happened to Sherri and Madison.
The last 30 seconds of the tornado had not scared me at all...
It was the next five seconds after it hit that put a fear in the deepest part of my stomach.
How was my family?
I did not yell, but I spoke loudly and firmly.
"Is everyone all right? Sherri? Madison? Are you all right?"
and I had a deep pain in my heart and a sudden fear in my soul as I waited for a response...
...to be continued
The wind was wailing and getting louder...
and then even louder...
Sherri yelled "COVER THE KIDS!"
I watched as she jumped full force, body extended, onto Madison, as I did the same on Logan.
and then the noise got even louder...
and we knew that it was here.
Out of my peripheral vision to my left, I saw the walls of the basement begin to buckle and fall in. My total time of seeing it must have been less than one second, but the details that I can remember make it seem longer. I had never seen walls collapse so fast.
The noise was the next component.
There were so many different sounds all playing at the same time.
Sherri was yelling "Lord, please help us! Lord, please help us." (I find it neat that even during a near death experience, Sherri found it wise to use her manners).
Then there was the wind. Everyone you see on TV talks about the sound of a "freight train." I did not find it to sound like that. It was more of a whooshing sound. A very loud continuous whoosh! It was mixed in with rumbles.
Also, as you can imagine, there was the tremendous sound of things falling. We now know that it was trees, and floors, and sub-floors, and glass, and dishes and pots and pans, and bricks and concrete, and refrigerators and furniture. It was all being moved around and up and down. It was a very hard sound to explain...
...until two days later. That was when a backhoe came to our home to try and lift and move our home around so that we could find our things. I was standing next to Steve Brannan, an elder at the Homewood Church of Christ and a good friend. As we were talking, the backhoe began to crush though portions of the house, making a loud crushing sound.
I leaned over to Steve and said, "That's what it sounded like, but incredibly louder..."
One thing was missing from the noise, and it was screaming. Other than Sherri's early screams, there was nothing from the kids. Both Madison and Logan were silent. I don't know if they were in shock, or just scared, or just being brave...but they were eerily silent.
The noise continued on...
Sherri and I have differing opinions on how long the "event" lasted. To me, it was about 30 seconds. She claims it was more like two minutes. Either way, it seemed like an eternity to both of us.
Everyone has been asking me what I was thinking while it was destroying our house. Both Sherri and I admit that there was no fear.
I never thought I was going to die.
I never worried about this being the end.
I did not see my life flash before my eyes.
Some say that we must have gone into "survival mode." I really didn't feel that way either. I only felt one thing, and that was to protect who I could, which happened to be Logan.
In the movie "The Blind Side", there is a scene where Sandra Bullock's character is discussing Michael Oher's standardized test grades. He scored low on just about every academic standard - except he did score in the 98th percentile in one area...protective instincts.
And that is how I felt. As I laid prostrate over my son, I had nothing on my mind except to keep him covered. My job was to protect him at all costs. In fact, a few days after the tornado, I asked Sherri, "Did you cover your head?"
She admitted she did not. Both of us were too busy covering our kids to cover our own heads.
I think this is how God feels about us as His children. I firmly believe that he wants to protect us and take care of us more than we will ever know.
So the house continues to fall in around us and on us. There was a a large piece of roof/ceiling/wall that was now laying on my back. Although I felt it on me, I never felt it "hit" me.
I never said "Ow" or "Ouch."
It just sort of covered me, as if someone were laying it down gently on my back to protect me from the bricks, cinder blocks and glass that was raining down on top of me.
Authors note: Sherri had the exact same experience. She too was covered and could not move, but has no recollection of how the materials landed on her.
Rick Bradshaw, a good friend and family member, and I led a Sunday School class a few years ago on angels and guardian angels. We did much research and it opened our eyes to the wonders of angels...and it does make me wonder...
After what seemed like forever, the noises came to a hault. It was silent, and it was dark.
The flashlight was facing away and shining an ever-so-dim light off of the coffee table.
The silence was deafening.
Worry now hit me like a ton of bricks (pun intended). I was only able to protect Logan, and I had no idea what had happened to Sherri and Madison.
The last 30 seconds of the tornado had not scared me at all...
It was the next five seconds after it hit that put a fear in the deepest part of my stomach.
How was my family?
I did not yell, but I spoke loudly and firmly.
"Is everyone all right? Sherri? Madison? Are you all right?"
and I had a deep pain in my heart and a sudden fear in my soul as I waited for a response...
...to be continued
Still praying for all of you. ANXIOUSLY waited for this chapter.
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Pete,
After reading your blog today, I was overcome with an overwhelming sadness. Just realizing how close we were to losing you and Sherri and the kids. Then a crazy thought came to me...what if you really did die and God decided to breathe life back into you to allow you to be his witnesses. He gave you a story to tell and to glorify him in the telling. I think you could write a Best Seller christian book. You and Sherri and Madison and Logan continue to be in my prayers. Much love
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