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TORNADO IN LEE COUNTY
5 min read
On March 3, 2019, an EF4 tornado with winds of 170 mph hit Lee County, Alabama, where I have lived most of my entire life. I was born in Lee County, Opelika, Alabama to be exact. I have never been part of any type of devastation like this in all of my almost-60 years on this earth. The damage was catastrophic, and the lives lost so far number 23.
One of the saddest stories that I have heard about so far is that of an 11-year-old girl, Kayla Grimes. Her Dad and soon-to-be stepmother were camping with Kayla and one of her friends, Taylor Thornton, when the tornado hit. It killed them all with the exception of Kayla. She is at the University of Birmingham hospital with multiple, quite serious injuries. Her biological mother is with her.
I received a phone call from my sister yesterday. Apparently, the Grimes family was looking for someone to video Marshell Lynn Grimes funeral today at 2:00 PM. Lynn is the father of Kayla. Kayla's aunt asked my sister if she would try to help find someone who would video the funeral for Kayla. They have not even told Kayla that her Dad, Stepmom, and friend all died in the tornado. How could I not try?
I first called a man I grew up with that used to have his own media business. I had no idea he had gone out three years ago on disability and sold his equipment. He recommended the owner of a local camera store whom I know personally, and do all of my business with. He gave me the owner's cell phone number.
I called him and explained the issue. He recommended another media guy that he knew. He told me he had a guy that could do it but he didn't know what his schedule would be. He told me if worse comes to worse, he would loan me his video camera so I could do it for the family. I prayed so hard that this guy would do it that he had referred me to. I didn't want to do it, as I am not a professional and I wanted it to be a top notch job. I Googled this guy by his company name and it popped right up. He was closed, but I left a voice mail.
While I was waiting to hear back from him, I got online and Googled the name of the church. Guess whose name popped up? The media guy! He attends this church! I thought to myself, "this could only be God!"
A short time later, I got a call from him and explained the situation. He didn't hesitate and told me immediately that he would do it. He also said the church where the funeral was going to be held also had the capability and he would call the guy personally who does that job for the church to make sure that he would be there to video it as well.
I called my sister and told her everything. She was choked up as I was. She called Kayla's aunt and told her it was going to be recorded. When she told Kayla's mother, she cried, and told her to thank us all. It may not be much, but it makes me feel good to know I was able to help one of these families in dire need.
My husband and I also took a bunch of clothes to one of the drop-off points for the tornado victims. It may not be much, but when a catastrophe like this happens, you want to do something to help! Still, even doing these couple of things, I still feel so helpless. My heart aches for everyone who has been affected by this terrible storm. The tornado traveled 68 miles and was on the ground for 76 minutes. There were two and they ran parallel to each other for a time. I mean right beside each other!
My sister-in-law's nephew has been one of the guys helping with the clean-up. He was there when Taylor was found in a tree. He is friends with my son and told my son that finding a dead child in a tree will sure mess you up. I have prayed hard for our first responders that God will take those horrific images out of their heads so they can continue on and do the jobs that need to be done. Won't you help me pray for them, for the families who lost loved ones, and for the families who lost everything they have?
They have predicted more severe storms for our area coming in on Sunday. Please pray for us! No matter your faith, you can send prayers, positive energy, good thoughts, we will take it all!
One of the saddest stories that I have heard about so far is that of an 11-year-old girl, Kayla Grimes. Her Dad and soon-to-be stepmother were camping with Kayla and one of her friends, Taylor Thornton, when the tornado hit. It killed them all with the exception of Kayla. She is at the University of Birmingham hospital with multiple, quite serious injuries. Her biological mother is with her.
I received a phone call from my sister yesterday. Apparently, the Grimes family was looking for someone to video Marshell Lynn Grimes funeral today at 2:00 PM. Lynn is the father of Kayla. Kayla's aunt asked my sister if she would try to help find someone who would video the funeral for Kayla. They have not even told Kayla that her Dad, Stepmom, and friend all died in the tornado. How could I not try?
I first called a man I grew up with that used to have his own media business. I had no idea he had gone out three years ago on disability and sold his equipment. He recommended the owner of a local camera store whom I know personally, and do all of my business with. He gave me the owner's cell phone number.
I called him and explained the issue. He recommended another media guy that he knew. He told me he had a guy that could do it but he didn't know what his schedule would be. He told me if worse comes to worse, he would loan me his video camera so I could do it for the family. I prayed so hard that this guy would do it that he had referred me to. I didn't want to do it, as I am not a professional and I wanted it to be a top notch job. I Googled this guy by his company name and it popped right up. He was closed, but I left a voice mail.
While I was waiting to hear back from him, I got online and Googled the name of the church. Guess whose name popped up? The media guy! He attends this church! I thought to myself, "this could only be God!"
A short time later, I got a call from him and explained the situation. He didn't hesitate and told me immediately that he would do it. He also said the church where the funeral was going to be held also had the capability and he would call the guy personally who does that job for the church to make sure that he would be there to video it as well.
I called my sister and told her everything. She was choked up as I was. She called Kayla's aunt and told her it was going to be recorded. When she told Kayla's mother, she cried, and told her to thank us all. It may not be much, but it makes me feel good to know I was able to help one of these families in dire need.
My husband and I also took a bunch of clothes to one of the drop-off points for the tornado victims. It may not be much, but when a catastrophe like this happens, you want to do something to help! Still, even doing these couple of things, I still feel so helpless. My heart aches for everyone who has been affected by this terrible storm. The tornado traveled 68 miles and was on the ground for 76 minutes. There were two and they ran parallel to each other for a time. I mean right beside each other!
My sister-in-law's nephew has been one of the guys helping with the clean-up. He was there when Taylor was found in a tree. He is friends with my son and told my son that finding a dead child in a tree will sure mess you up. I have prayed hard for our first responders that God will take those horrific images out of their heads so they can continue on and do the jobs that need to be done. Won't you help me pray for them, for the families who lost loved ones, and for the families who lost everything they have?
They have predicted more severe storms for our area coming in on Sunday. Please pray for us! No matter your faith, you can send prayers, positive energy, good thoughts, we will take it all!
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DISOWNED
3 min read
I feel more normal and stable than I have my entire life, and yes, that is a great thing! I have fought hard to get to where I am, and yes, I do mean fight. It has been a long, hard fight, but by Ned I won!
I’ve been in and out of therapy since the age of 17. I have seen therapists, psychiatrists, been in the ER, as well as being hospitalized in the psych ward a couple of times. Mental illness is not fun. I know what it feels like to be a prisoner inside my own body. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
No, I am not crazy. I am mentally ill. I am not ashamed to tell anyone that. I did nothing to cause it. In my family, it is hereditary, plus I have a chemical imbalance in my brain.
I remember finding a friend of ours on FB after many years. He and my husband played in a gospel group together which is how my husband knew him. If I remember correctly, this guy was in my sister’s class. She was only two years behind me in high school, so I saw him in school all the time. I never knew he had feelings for me until I found him again on FB. He never said anything, so I truly had no idea. I had posted a photo of myself at 17, and he made comments about me underneath about how hot he thought I was back then. To be honest, he actually got out of line and I deleted the comments. My husband was furious, but I digress. I had a point to that. I truly did!
My point is, had we ended up together, would he have loved me through all of it like my husband has? I really don’t think so. I know husband of 40 years has been God’s plan for my life. So many people have practically “disowned” me because they don’t understand, and though it hurts like hell, it is okay. I get it that they don’t understand. My husband, however, just kept loving me through it. Nobody, and I do mean nobody, has ever loved me like he does. God bless that man! He will have a special crown in Heaven, I just know it. I would strongly encourage you to learn all you can about mental illness if you have friends and/or family who suffer with it. It will help you both!
National Suicide Prevention Hotline - 1-800-273-8255
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill - nami.org
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FAMILY ANECDOTE
2 min read
Uncle Dan’l was Ma’s Daddy’s brother. He had cause to be in the hospital. He got sick and tired of the nurses coming into his room wanting to take his vitals and get a urine specimen. His breakfast tray had just been delivered to him, and he had barely started eating when the nurse came in yet again.
She said, “Mr. Wood, I need to get another urine specimen from you, I will be back in a few minutes to pick it up.”
Uncle Dan’l loved playing practical jokes, so he took his apple juice on his breakfast tray and poured it into container meant for the urine. A few minutes later, the nurse returned for the specimen and held it up to the light.
She said, “Mr. Wood, this doesn’t look quite right.”
He said, “Well dadburn it, let me run it through again.” He took the specimen from the nurse and drank every drop knowing full well it was the apple juice.
The nurse ran out of the room exclaiming, “Lawd, Mr. Wood done lost his mind. He just drank his urine specimen!”
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Ten Things About Me
1 min read
- My favorite photographer is Ansel Adams
- My favorite artist is Thomas Kincaid
- My favorite colors are green and yellow
- My favorite drink in the Winter is hot cocoa with marshmallows and whipped cream
- My favorite drink in summer is lemonade
- My favorite season is Autumn
- My least favorite season is Summer
- My favorite things to photograph are old barns, clouds, weathered buildings, flowers, birds, etc.
- My favorite scent is apple cinnamon
- My favorite flowers are red roses
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I believe the biggest lesson I have learned from having bouts of major depression is don’t make important decisions during a depressive episode. I have learned that depression makes things seem worse than they are. One of the symptoms of being bipolar is poor judgement. I made some terrible decisions during that time, and they have caused me a lot of personal pain. The hurt and scars are still there, but I have learned coping mechanisms in therapy to help me get past these bad times.
As far as my anxiety, I have also learned coping mechanisms, but what works for me may not work for someone else. Each person has to decide what works best for them. Writing, photography, reading, gardening, and listening to uplifting music are my therapies. When I start feeling anxious, I will take deep breaths and exhale slowly. This has helped bring my anxiety under control most of the time.
My husband has gone through a lot with me and my mental illness. God bless that man, he deserves a special crown in Heaven. He has never threatened to leave me like a lot of husbands have done because they just couldn’t handle it. My husband just loved me right through it. I have written about it before, but I can’t say it enough, he loves me unconditionally. I don’t think anyone has ever loved me like he does.
During the worst depression of my life, he could see how unhappy I was. He said to me, “If you are not happy, I will let you go, and I won’t hate you.” I broke down when he said that, and I told him I did not deserve him, but I sure thank God for him. I had been contemplating leaving him. I am so thankful to God that I didn’t. To me,the depression magnified our problems. We have always been able to work through things and we have done it together, but when my “thinking ability” was compromised due to mental illness, it prevented me from being able to do that. My mood swings would cause me to absolutely lose it. I would scream at him and be shaking I was so out of control. When my husband told me he’d let me go and wouldn’t hate me, even in my depressed state, I knew that was true love. He put my happiness above his own. It made me realize the caliber person he is. He is a moral, God-fearing man, and I love him with my whole heart and soul.
I knew I had to get help, and I did. I am happy to report that I am doing very well, and I have been stable since August 2014. Therapy and medications have helped me get back to feeling like a normal person. As long as I remember to take them, I am fine. I sometimes get messed up on them, and some of my prior behavior will come back. Have you ever written something and sent it to someone, and then later regret it? That has happened to me a lot. You read it and think, “Did I really write that?” Fortunately, my true friends have been like my hubby and loved me right through it. For that, I am deeply grateful.
As far as anxiety and the panic attacks, they are usually related to my family. Particularly, if I am expecting one of them at a certain time and they are late, and it gets later and later, my anxiety and panic start building. It gets worse and worse. All sorts of horrible scenarios run through my mind until they walk through the door or I reach them on their phone.
If I could change anything about me, it would most likely be to think things through before reacting. I have lost friends because of this trait. I do feel like my medication has helped curb my mood swings, and for that I am thankful.
I would also change the way I look at myself, and be more positive instead of having such a low self-esteem. A friend told me I need to learn to accept compliments without adding, thank you, but…after that but was always something negative about myself. I am so deeply grateful to friends like that. I prefer friends who will tell me what I need to hear, not what I want to hear. The ones who do that are the ones who are friends I want to keep, and I will cut loose the fake friends who try to pacify me. I have changed by getting rid of negative people in my life who only bring me down. No one needs “friends” like that. Cut them loose!
I believe I have rambled on enough in this entry, so I will bid you all adieu now. May you all be happy and blessed, as I am!~
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