Thankfulness follows destruction

To the editor:

One year ago Nov. 5, everything I’ve ever known got ripped away from my grasp.

My childhood home.

All of my memories were turned into splintered debris.

Every picture.

Every blanket I got for Christmas.

Every homemade coloring page.

Every piece of art I spent hours on end perfecting.

Every single family recipe that was made from the time my Grandma Crystal was alive to the day I started making my own. All hand-written by her. All of her favorites.

Gone in the splinters, and will never be made again.

Every homemade Christmas ornament.

Every birthday card from my grandparents that I have collected since I was 6, knowing how important they are to me.

Every picture I had with my Papa Walter before he passed.

My mother’s wedding dress, torn to shreds.

The clay pots my sister and cousin made.

All of our family heirlooms.

Granny’s hutch, built specially for my great-great-grandma Caufman by her husband in their younger years.

There is one thing from that tornado that I will be forever grateful for. God got my sister out in one piece. Her boyfriend, now husband, Brandon was there to protect her. She wanted to stay in that house. Brandon got her out. Without Brandon, who knows if Emilie would be here today.

Although, there is so much more to be grateful for:

My sister did make it.

None of us were home.

I gained a brother.

I gained a nephew.

We have a blank canvas.

My mom is getting her dream home.

New memories can be made.

Three out of our four dogs made it, along with our cat.

We were offered an incredible house to stay in.

We had an abundant amount of donations.

So many people came to help, and so much food was made.

I've lost friends, but have gained better ones.

I accomplished one of my dreams. I became the person I used to look up to as a little girl.

I found myself when I lost everything.

Our community has found who they are and realized how much of an impact they have when they come together as a whole.

On Nov. 5, last year, we were picking through the debris for anything and everything.

Me and Emilie also promised to never eat McDonald’s in the morning on a Sunday before church ever again.

We were trying to find our shoes scattered all over the fields. Trying to find something to get us by.

I know when we all went to bed that night, we just cried. Not out of anger, but because of the unknown. We didn’t know what great things God was about to do in our lives.

You would never expect it would ever be you, until it is.

I can honestly say, I’m blessed to have been through this.

Our family has learned how to dance in the rain and to know that we have everything even when we lost everything.

I’m so thankful for Jay County and everything everyone has done for us and everyone who experienced damage.

Sarah Walter

Rural Portland