This maybe trivial to some but please indulge me on this long winding narrative.. This is the story of our St. Francis statue that stands atop a pedestal in the middle of our garden in my first house. In April 2011, the southern states had a calamitous seemingly endless series of tornados wrecking everything in their path. One of these F5 tornados (rotatory wind velocities greater than 200 miles per hour ) hovered above our home and over the hospital where I worked. I know this had to be divine intercession why we survived. I immediately knew the tornado was so close I could hear the machine-like sound of giant motor turbines passing thru and it suddenly became pitched black and then a wall of thunderous wall of water unleashed from above. Suddenly everything went to a standstill. It was eerily quiet and peaceful . The sun was so bright and the sky was so clear and blue. I got out of the hospital and saw the grounds drenched wet with strewn leaves and branches everywhere. No significant damage could be seen . I already knew this time that an elderly couple who were my patients living on the outskirts of the city survived by fleeing to the hallway of their century old home and were en route to the hospital with injuries. I rushed home to check on my parents who appeared calm and did not seem affected of the danger they had been through. I surveyed the yard which had no damage . There were no branches or leaves on the ground. Almost perfect until I saw St. Francis statue toppled to the ground like some relic. The arms were dismembered in several sections including amputation of both hands. I was felt so thankful we survived unscatched. Fast forward to this current time and I always felt guilty passing thru the crumbled statue everytime I go in and out of the garage. I just did not have the gumption to restore something I am not akin to. I ruminated what to do with it . It bothered me not doing something to it or that maybe it will be forgotten in the dust bins in the attic (that is good so I will not see it). I made excuses like my work , piano practice, etc. Well, I finally decided to do it. I spent time restoring the statue for five days. It was a trial and error but I stuck with tile mortar with polymer which did the job.I used my break time between my piano practice time. I do feel a sense of relief and am actually proud I got it done. This statue reminds me how life is so precious and so fleeting. I remember the hundreds of souls who died on that fateful tragic day. It became more tragic when the husband of my patient who survived the tornado died less than a year later. This events come close to my mind and heart. We cling to life precariously . Every moment we live only happens because God has gifted us with life and its infinite freedom of possibilities to do good for His greater glory. On a cheerful note on my patient, I was told he was so happy to get back his wallet which had a rendezvous with the tornado and was dropped off in Birmingham 250 miles away!
Posted on: Sun, 07 Jul 2013 23:45:16 +0000
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