KY Woman Finds Piece of Hope and Inspiration In Debris From Tornadoes

Since the deadly tornadoes that ripped through the middle of the county on December 10th, 2021, people have been finding all sorts of debris in their yards and fields. There is even a Facebook page set up to connect victims of the tornadoes to lost items.

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The morning after the storms, we looked out our windows and saw pieces of roofing, siding, boards, insulation and paper. It was unbelievable to think that the tornadoes had blown these items into our yard. But, then again, tornadoes of that magnitude had never been so close to our house.

This wasn't the first time we have been on high alert during storms because of a threat of tornadoes. Living in the midwest, you get used to it. But, this was different.

When the meteorologist spoke about the coming storms, you could hear the fear in their voices. They knew that things were in place to bring us the unthinkable. A line of storms that might bring deadly tornadoes.

According to the Courier-Journal,

More than 1,000 properties were destroyed and a record-tying 76 deaths have been reported so far in connection with the storm system that moved through the commonwealth late Dec. 10 and into the early hours of Dec. 11, leaving hundreds of people without homes or jobs to return to.

It was surreal to see the debris of peoples lives laying all around. Every time I would see something along the road, i felt overwhelmed with emotions. All of the pieces represented someones life. Whether they lost their life or everything that they had, it was a pice of them. A piece of their lives.

At first, I couldn't bring myself to touch the things that had fallen from the sly, into our yard and fields. But, this last weekend, my husband and granddaughter walked the fields and found this.

The sight of this detached clock face took my breath away. How poignant it is in the images it shows. To me, the piece represents us all in our moments of darkness, need, doubt, weariness, and sorrow. In those dreadful moments, we look for light. For a lot of us, that light is a higher power that picks us up and helps give us the strength to move forward.

To me, it also represents our time on this earth and how fragile and confusing that time can be. Time is both our enemy that goes by too fast, and out friend that helps us heal.

I feel honored that this and all of the random pieces of construction, old checks, and old receipts fell into my yard. The items connect me to the people that owned the stuff. Through that connection, like many of us are feeling toward the victims of the tornadoes. I feel their fear, pain, sadness, hope, faith and love.

As we come together to help the victims, may we never forget the clock face that displayed a  image of peace and inspiration to help us all heal.