This story to my surprise came from Randy Thurman who is one of the two founders of Retirement Investment Advisors. I work with Randy and Joe Bowie where we provide personalized financial planning for folks like you. Check out our web site and we would love to help you plan for your future www.TheRetirementPath.com
Ok, here is Randy's story:
Randy Thurman
Ok, here is Randy's story:
Randy Thurman
We were wiped out by the tornado. In a blink of an eye, we lost every material possession we had. Our story was on the front page of the Capital Hill Beacon with the headline, “Divine Providence.” It certainly was. I survived with minor abrasions; Pati had a nasty cut on her arm and another on her back. Levi didn’t have a scratch on him.
I started the day thinking: I really need some time off. . . I came home after work and started watching the weather. It appeared the tornado would miss us when it turned and it was too late to leave. It was loud. Like continuous thunder without the crackles. Pati, Levi and Myself huddled close in the corner of our bedroom closet. The noise increased. Pati played a children’s tape for Levi, so he wouldn’t remember the sound. It got louder, the windows exploded, a loud crash (an 8” diameter tree was thrown through our bedroom wall). Things started hitting our closet wall . . . like a thrashing machine, then, suddenly, we were outside. Totally outside. Not a wall left. Just us, a blanket and an F5 tornado.
Pati and I were covering Levi and things were hitting me in the back of the head. I yelled to her, get the blanket over my head, she said I’m trying (can you imagine trying to control a blanket in a 300 mph wind). She grabbed the blanket and held it over my head. It is then, we think, something hit her in the arm.
When we came out from under the blanket all our walls, our carpet, toothpicks, etc. were gone. Even our neighborhood was gone. Pati, in a very calm, slow and low keyed voice said, “Randy, no need to panic, but I have a bad cut on my arm and I need your shirt.” My shirt was off in a nanosecond.
The row of houses on our block was totally destroyed. Although the floor plans were almost exactly the same, built by the same homebuilder, the residents took shelter in different parts of their house. No one was killed on our block because each person was in the only place they could have been to survive. Another miracle.
It’s been quite a challenge but things are much better now. A friend of Pati’s asked Levi if he liked his new home. He thought for a second and said, “Yes I do. This one has a roof on it.”
Perhaps Levi said it best when the next night he said, “We prayed hard, God protected us and a big wind blew our house away.” That about sums it up.
I started the day thinking: I really need some time off. . . I came home after work and started watching the weather. It appeared the tornado would miss us when it turned and it was too late to leave. It was loud. Like continuous thunder without the crackles. Pati, Levi and Myself huddled close in the corner of our bedroom closet. The noise increased. Pati played a children’s tape for Levi, so he wouldn’t remember the sound. It got louder, the windows exploded, a loud crash (an 8” diameter tree was thrown through our bedroom wall). Things started hitting our closet wall . . . like a thrashing machine, then, suddenly, we were outside. Totally outside. Not a wall left. Just us, a blanket and an F5 tornado.
Pati and I were covering Levi and things were hitting me in the back of the head. I yelled to her, get the blanket over my head, she said I’m trying (can you imagine trying to control a blanket in a 300 mph wind). She grabbed the blanket and held it over my head. It is then, we think, something hit her in the arm.
When we came out from under the blanket all our walls, our carpet, toothpicks, etc. were gone. Even our neighborhood was gone. Pati, in a very calm, slow and low keyed voice said, “Randy, no need to panic, but I have a bad cut on my arm and I need your shirt.” My shirt was off in a nanosecond.
The row of houses on our block was totally destroyed. Although the floor plans were almost exactly the same, built by the same homebuilder, the residents took shelter in different parts of their house. No one was killed on our block because each person was in the only place they could have been to survive. Another miracle.
It’s been quite a challenge but things are much better now. A friend of Pati’s asked Levi if he liked his new home. He thought for a second and said, “Yes I do. This one has a roof on it.”
Perhaps Levi said it best when the next night he said, “We prayed hard, God protected us and a big wind blew our house away.” That about sums it up.
What do you learn from such an amazing story?
- Not every story turns out this good but God's plans are bigger than us
- Faith is an integral part of a happy fulfilling life
- Even country folks not from the Osage are hard workers and have strong character
Thanks for your time,
gary@thepioneerman.com
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