In The Midst of Tragedy ~~~ Gina Emerson

In The Midst of Tragedy


Hampton Roads was alarmed when a string of tornadoes decided to touch down on our very soils. Usually spared from the actual event of a tornado, some people unexpectedly lost everything in a moments notice.

Almost like a scene from the Wizard of Oz, there was debris flying, houses crumbling to their very foundations, and life’s being forever changed. Channel 13 News kept flashing an image of a mother and father along with child, making their way through the ruins of their home and managing to carry away three suitcases full of their belongings. This was all that remained. However, surely they are thankful that all are safe and they still have their little family together and out of harms way. What are those things that we cherish the most?

Just as Dorothy kept stating “there’s no place like home”, at least 12 or more families will not have the opportunity to be at their homes today or perhaps ever again. Although lives cannot be replaced and people are thankful for their lives, how can you replace the memories of that home? The baby’s first steps, family pictures, things that have been handed down from generation to generation are now gone. Your past is uniquely erased without the opportunity to appreciate what those memories have brought into your lives.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all the families who have been left without their homes, and hope they hold dear to their hearts those memories that have been erased from this destruction.