Ruby Slippers

This is what you would call a tornado. Not just any tornado, an F5 tornado, which is the highest rating a tornado gets. It swept through Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where, it just so happens, my sister Kelly and her husband Andrew live, at 6 pm on Thursday April 27th. It blew one block away from Kelly, as she was huddled in her bathroom, trying to talk to Andrew on the phone. He couldn't hear her over the enormous sound of the wind. It was so close. She could hear glass breaking and the roof creaking. Her apartment building was shaking and she could hear trees being slammed to the ground. When it had passed, she walked out of the bathroom (which had no windows, smart girl) expecting to find her apartment demolished. It was, thanks be to God, in one piece. She walked outside to see the neighborhood across the street from her completely flattened.
Andrew was on his way home from Birmingham. He had to park outside Tuscaloosa and walk the remaining two miles home. There was too much debris on the roads. But he made it home to Kelly safe and sound.
I can't imagine experiencing something like that. Kelly said the sound was terrifying, and she was experiencing this all alone. She's a strong woman. I'm thankful to my Father in Heaven that they are safe. It makes me sick thinking how close it got to Kelly.
With Kelly and Andrew living in Alabama, I had some slight worries that a tornado would touch down there. But I always imagined it to be one of those skinny little tornadoes. Never did I think a mile wide twister would rampage through their little city. I still just can't believe it. It's like, these things should only exist in the movies. I can't put into words how grateful I am that they are safe.