Night of the Twister

So this past week Branson was hit with its first tornado ever. There have been floods and bad storms, but never anything like we experienced. I went to bed after a long day of rehearsals and dancing and was out for the count. The next thing I know I was jarred awake by shattered glass and my front door slamming open. Charlie dog ran into my room and I grabbed him quickly and ran into the bathroom where we huddled in the shower.
The sound that came was indescribable. They say it sounds like a freight train, but I don’t even think that covers it. This deafening noise came quickly and the walls all started to shake as the tornado passed by my house. It all happened so quickly I was in disbelief. I paused for a few moments after it passed and then got out of the bathroom to go and check on everything. I pushed away the glass so I could open get out of my door and looked out at my car which had a tree on top of it. It was still raining pretty hard at this point so I grabbed my jacket and put Charlie back in the bathroom while I went to survey the damage to my car and my neighbor Rachael’s The branches of the tree had formed an arch over my car causing the actual trunk to stop about 4 inches from my car. The only damage I had to it was a small crack in the windshield the size of a dollar. My friend Rachael’s car had no damage either.
The rain finally stopped and after texting and talking to several people to make sure they were ok, Rachel and I decided to take a walk downtown to check on Starbucks where she works downtown. Of course coffee was on the mind at a time like this. Lol. It was the most eerie sight. Debris everywhere, power was completely out. I saw furniture and toys and pieces of houses all over the place. Trees completely uprooted and tossed onto houses. Power poles snapped in two. The Hilton hotel downtown was eerily lit by the flashing emergence lights in all of its rooms. The windows had been shattered out of most of them. So see the area that I normally walk Charlie every day completely obliterated was baffling.
After the walk I went back home and tried to get some sleep before work the next day. Thankfully no one I worked with had too much damage. The tornado went about 22 miles and destroyed many businesses and homes in the area. I am so thankful that my house was spared.
After a week of hard work and long long hours from countless workers the town is getting back on its feet. Its amazing to me how much work has been done in such a short time. Yea, there are still lots of damages and places to clean up, but the town itself is fully functional again already.
Situations like this remind me of how small we are and how things can change at a moments notice. We are truly not in control and dependent on the one who is. I am so thankful for the protection provided to myself and all the other residents of this area. It could have been a lot worse! Blessed to be alive.

Mercy Thats New Every Morning

Fresh healing. It stinks sometimes, the old wounds open up to allow for there to be healing on a deeper level. I think that is where I am at right now. The past couple months has been interesting, Lots of challenges and pitfalls along the way and trying to keep my focus on Christ has been hard.
This off season was super boring because I really had no plans at all aside from the cruise. Which I just wrote about. After that was done my time was spent trying to establish a routine in order to not go crazy from having so much free time on my hands. In the midst of having to try and keep occupied in some way shape or form I felt like the Lord was removing stability that I felt I had in my life. People and things that I would run to. Relationship ending, Friendships ending (that needed to end), Family stuff, Prominent people in my life that I trusted ,and valued their advice and wisdom. All of there things were changing and rearranging. In addition I didn’t have a job to go to and have some form of purpose. The perfect storm for my life if you will. The right mix of ingredients that could break my spirit and will to fight.
In the middle of it all I felt like the Lord was continually prompting my heart to run to him. To seek him. To trust him. I have realized and continue to realize that I run to so many other things in order to make myself feel good about myself or where I am at. If I don’t have these stabilizing forces I fall apart. Not healthy! So thus began my journey to this deeper level of healing in my life. Last year was like the first layer of healing that was wonderful, and this year I feel like the more intimate layer is being taken on. To run to Christ when I feel lonely. To run to Christ when I feel insecure. To run to Christ when I don’t like my job or feel unfulfilled. Retraining my mind and reactions to seeking him instead of calling on other people and things to change my attitude or give me that confidence I seek. This is not and easy task, and has left me feeling kind of lost at moments. So, pray for me dear friends as I embark on this next chapter of growth and healing. The next chapter on the journey of faith I am on with my Lord and Savior.

Cruise Control

I have neglected this blog for too long! So I am going to back track a bit and catch up with what has happened in the past few months. So we shall start with the Cruise Trip experience. In January I went on a family cruise that ported out of Puerto Rico and continued its journey through the Caribbean. Beautiful islands and a really wonderful trip. There was some interesting events along the way, but all provided for growth and learning.
When we got to Puerto Rico we took a taxi into downtown San Juan. My brother had reserved a room at a hostel for us that was super close to the port. Little did we know that the day we arrived was the beginning of their version of Mardi Gras, called San Sabastian Festival. We took a taxi as far as we could and then walked about a quarter of a mile through crowded streets full of drunks and crazies! Keep in mind we have all of our luggage and are trying to find the place in general. If I were by myself this would be a different story, but to have the whole family with me it was a crazy experience. We finally made it safe and sound to the hostel which was probably one of the nicest ones I have ever gone to. The next morning we boarded the ship and took the adventure to some amazing islands. St. Martin, St. Lucia, St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Kitts. Each one with something new and interesting to do and see. Went snorkeling and saw some pretty fish. Actually achieved a tan in the process which is unheard of for this white boy.
Amidst all of the fun were some challenges. A year prior to going on this family vacation I was just getting off my ship and bringing an end to a tough chapter in my life. Lots of bad choices and mistakes. This past year was a year of amazing healing and I was so blessed. Getting back on a ship reminded me of all the fun things I remembered but also all the wounds that were there too. It made me miss an old unhealthy relationship. It made me miss traveling the world. It made me miss making buckets of money. Haha. Then came the challenge of just going on a trip with family. I love my family to death, but to spend an extended time with them can be a bit daunting. Especially considering we are a bit different in views sometimes. Through all the ups and downs on the trip I feel that amidst it all there was healing and new growth. Some wounds were re-opened, but because of that it allowed a new layer of healing.
If you ever have a chance to visit those beautiful islands I highly suggest you do it. They are truly enchanting and you cannot help but relax while there.