a tornado struck nashville overnight: 22 dead and more missing. i'm feeling a lot today. there is no way to put into words the thoughts and emotions i'm feeling right now but i feel like i should try.
i wish i could say that sadness was the first emotion but it's not. i am sad for the loss of life and for the loss of homes and businesses but i'm mostly anxious! (of course, anxiety is the first emotion i feel on any given day.) anytime a natural disaster hits i feel so bad for the victims because i know what they are feeling right now. i know how scared and sad and exhausted they are. i know they just want to get their hands on their loved ones or one tiny family heirloom and those things might not be possible. might never be possible again. they are, in the next few days, going to begin the long hard road of FEMA applications and hotel rooms, clean-up and recovery, tetanus shots and learning to live with everything in their lives being a replacement for something else. it's devastating. i hope others are better at it than i was/am. i'm still not good at it.
my therapist called and advised that i stay home today. i had to go vote and check on the store (no damage in my neighborhood). i put a sign on the door and came home. i'm mostly anxiously pacing the floor. i will open tomorrow. i will hope to have a plan in place to accept donations.
remember that donations to national charities are important but consider giving to local churches or community organizations. local folks who actually put cash and necessities into the hands of those that need help right here in nashville (instead of the red cross or united way who accept donations in nashville but may send that money out of state to other deserving people but won't go to help your neighbors or neighborhoods).
i apologize for the disjointed nature of this post and some questionable grammar choices but my brain and my fingers aren't working as a team right this minute.
(much needed) grace and peace
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