We ARE Alabama....

Yesterday was a day of intense stress, grief and sadness with some overwhelming relief. The devastation is almost beyond comprehension. I've lived in Alabama for all of my (almost) 41 years and I have never seen Mother Nature's fury at yesterday's levels. I don't think there is a person in this state that doesn't have a tie to the devastation in some form or another.

My niece and her boyfriend and her pup survived that monster in Tuscaloosa. Our Admin Assistant was just a block away from the total destruction of the Pleasant Grove area in Birmingham. They are all okay. My peeps came through it all. But others are still hoping and praying for some signs of loved ones. My heart breaks for them.

It is amazing how truly vicious Mother Nature can be.

I picked up various debris from my yard today.... shingles, siding, insulation, splintered pieces of wood. And none of the homes in my neighborhood sustained any damage. These pieces all came from storms as they swept through. We are the lucky ones.

As I huddled with Princess Penelope and Thing 1 and Thing 2 in the hall last night, all I could say, was "I love you" as we waited it out. Tonight, I Princess Penelope and I met my niece and her boyfriend for dinner here in Birmingham. I must confess I made a bit of a scene as I got all weepy with the sheer joy of seeing her in one piece. They told us about the devastation and shared the pictures they took. It is simply unbelievable.

They town we know is forever changed. I've spent countless Saturdays in the fall in Tuscaloosa as we are huge Alabama football fans. It won't ever be the same. The landscape and landmarks are forever altered.  The same situation exists just 10 short miles up the road in the Pleasant Grove and Pratt City suburbs of Birmingham. Lives were forever changed or even gone. But we will pick it up and put the pieces together.

I heard someone on the Paul Finebaum show say today.... "In Alabama, we might not all be the smartest people, or the richest..... but we are resilient." I say Amen to that. We ARE Alabama and we WILL get through this!