Forgive a poem from the past- I wrote this piece after we drove through the wreckage in Joplin after the tornado there. Some of these lines pounded through my head as we drove around this morning viewing storm damage. We made it through the storm fine, if a little rattled. I haven’t heard of any casualties, just vehicle and property damage so far. The tree pictured is behind our house, just down the hill. Thank you for your prayers.

Down to the Foundation
I know You give and take away
Gave a hundred years to these trees
Now jagged and naked, the tops snapped away
Gave thirty years to this family home
The roof blown in, bricks crumbling
It’s hard to keep Your time
To understand Your ways
But I look through the wreckage
And I see the cement foundations
The smooth places in the dust
You remind me that what I build
Is ultimately rubble
Unless I invest in love
Love that rises from the carnage
Of the wind, of the water
These storms that rattle our lives
And send us seeking shelter and help
Maybe they bring us back to love
Stripping away our comfort and security
Reminding us of our vulnerability
Impressing our need for each other
In that, perhaps hope rises again
When we get back
Back down to the Foundation

~ suelarkinsweems ’11