Just for the fun of it.... here is a picture of my sister and I ( Jan on the left, I on the right) and in between us are the neighborhood kids who we spent the first 13 to 14 years of our lives with.
(Picture is when I was around age 10, I believe)Cathy, Jim and Bob lived across the street from us and they were our extended family, along with their parents Alice and Mil. I am thinking of them today, probably because tomorrow is "Tornado Day' in my hometown. When I was 12 years old a deadly tornado wiped out half our hometown. Once you live through an experience like that, anniversary dates are often remembered.... AND I do still tend to freak out a bit when storms are in my area, like this past week.
Back when I was a kid, I remember spending the hours after the tornado down in our neighbor's basement. I think our parents put us down there, all together, to feel safe. That night I also got to sleep with my sister in her room. I remember listening to ambulance sirens head out to the hospital. Thirteen people died that afternoon and we felt lucky to still have our houses left standing in our neighborhood.
When I see pictures on the TV of recent tornado's, I feel compassion... but not all that much sadness or emotion. I usually catch myself saying "been there, done that".... and I know from my experience, life does go on, and things can and do return to normal.... eventually. Yet, I also know that an imprint has been left on me: "Tornado Survivor"... which only those who have had this experience can understand. Probably like "Cancer Survivors" or Holocaust Survivors".
Tornado Post from last year HERE
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