The Blessing of a Garden

I've been counting my blessings this past week.  So many of our friends were affected by the tornado and our hearts are heavy for them and the families that have lost loved ones,
 especially children.  

The sadness and stress of such loss is hard to imagine.  Over twenty families from our church have lost their homes. 

After a shift of volunteering to help feed those affected by the storm, I came home and took a walk through my garden.  It is my place to retreat from the world to relax and meditate.  We are so grateful that our family is safe and we had no damage to our home or property, but for 1200 families that is not the case.  

This is what is left of the house we lived in when we first moved to Oklahoma 30 years ago!  We rented it for about a year and then purchased a home.  Hard to believe we once lived there!

This area was completely devastated.  

I sat in my garden and prayed and thought about all I had seen and heard that morning.   Spending time in my garden is therapy for me and  I took a few photographs to share.  

Samaritan's Purse is partnering with our church and has organized teams to go into the devastated neighborhoods  to assist homeowners with the cleanup.  I am so amazed at the people who have come from all over the country to help.  What a great organization! 

Our entire church went out after services on Sunday to help with the cleanup.  Nobody wore Sunday best clothes..but work clothes instead so we could all go out and help our community.

We picked up pieces of people's homes and belongings  outside an apartment complex.    Tiny fragments mixed in with nails, boards and sheet metal littered the landscape as far as we could see.

Then there are houses that are completely demolished...just piles that were once homes.
Please continue to pray for those who have 
suffered losses and count your many blessings!

I'm linking with Tootsie's Fertilizer Friday

and Tablescaper's Seasonal Sundays