Ten Years Ago

Thanksgiving ten years ago was very special. I was living at home with my parents and I was enjoying the holiday with my fiance & my parents. I was in my final year of college and making plans for our upcoming wedding. The day after Thanksgiving, my dad - the hunter that he is - decided to drive north to go hunting. So like every Black Friday, my mom and I dug out her Christmas decorations & were getting the house ready for Christmas. My future hubby, Mom and I paused for a quick dinner.

We had the Evening News on while we were eating and couldn't believe we heard the town of Honey Brook mentioned on the news. Honey Brook is a VERY small town - not particularly note-worthy. We commented,

"Wow! The news must really be slow

if they mentioned Honey Brook!"

After supper, we resumed our "decking the halls". The phone rang. Hmm. Seems the alarm was going off at Mom & Dad's company in Honey Brook. Mom didn't usually get phone calls like that...managers do. Odd. But, the caller said,

"You need to get down here right away."

Mom didn't even wait for me to put my shoes on. She got in her car and zoomed the 10-15 minutes to Honey Brook. Jerad and I got in his car, too. When we neared Honey Brook, a road block stopped us. When I mentioned to the officer that my parents own Zook Molasses. His face got solemn -

"Oh, okay. You can go."

The night was very dark and it was raining, but the sight we saw when we pulled up to Zook Molasses was something I'll never forget. A tornado ripped through my parents' company. The roof was missing, insulation was scattered, walls were torn apart. I walked around the building with Mom and Jerad with my mouth dropped.

I'll just never forget that night.

A small boat from a home about 2 miles away was jammed into the one side of the building. Debris was everywhere. An Amish barn behind their property was leveled. It was so unexpected. I had never heard of a tornado in November in these parts.

I mean, we're not in Kansas, Toto.

Mom called my dad and he drove back home. Our family - especially my parents - didn't get a lot of sleep that next week. Lots of cleaning up, T.V. interviews, and insurance calls & visits. I remember people - thoughtful family & friends - coming to Honey Brook to help with the clean-up effort, bringing a meal, sending cards, praying for our family.

What I remember most was the fact that on Thanksgiving day, my family was so thankful for so many things. The very next day, my family was thankful - but for so many different things. No one was working the night of the tornado. Why? It was a holiday weekend. Only God could have orchestrated that.

What a gift.

No one was injured.

Another thing that meant SO much to me & again proves to me that God cares about even the little things in our lives. Remember how my dad had been on his way to the mountains to go hunting? Well, one morning that next week after the tornado, my dad decided he'd do a little hunting in his back yard. He shot the biggest buck he ever got in PA that very morning! What a special gift God gave him!

We were all so glad for that piece of joy in my dad's day!

One final thing, I've just got to mention....my parents never dreamed they'd have to face such an ordeal. Never would have thought they'd be interviewed on Philadelphia TV News and yet they seemed so "prepared." Their response to the tornado was breathtaking. They praised God for so much! They weren't devastated. They weren't defeated. They were ready for the battle. They didn't even skip a beat. I was SHOCKED to see them at church on Sunday morning - after working so hard and so late the night before - in a CLEAN car!

"You stopped to wash your car on the way to church?"

Mom said, "Of course! We always want to look our best when we go to worship God."

I just shook my head in awe.

How were they so ready? I believe it's because of their daily walk with God. They commit to reading God's Word every day - no matter where they are. They're not perfect, none of us are, but they were ready for the battle ahead of them.

Here's a Bible verse that Mom's dear friend wrote "Tornado 1999" beside:

"Call upon me in the day of trouble;

I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

Psalm 50:15

God is good! Happy Thanksgiving! What are YOU thankful for?

Here's a newspaper clipping....

HONEY BROOK, PA (Nov. 28, 1999) -- An unusual tornado struck a small
town in the Pennsylvania Dutch country Friday evening, destroying
four homes and significantly damaging 20 others.
The tornado -- not only unseasonable in November but unusual for this
area in eastern Pennsylvania -- also leveled a barn and caused an
estimated $2 million worth of damage to the Zook Molasses and Good
Food, Inc. factory, said Marko Borne, public information officer for
the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Office.
Honey Brook, a town of just 1,100 people, is located about 30 miles
east of Lancaster.