Post Traumatic Stress

I've had a few situations in life that have been mildly traumatic. At the time, you just get through it and don't let your mind 'go there'. I am sort of feeling that right now. This weekend there were about 112 tornadoes that went through the middle of the United States. The weather people warned us the day before. Facebook was all about the weather and that is all anyone could talk about. So it wasn't a surprise on Saturday when the sky turned first white, then green, then black. My husband and I were the only ones at home. We kept texting our three grown children to make sure they were all safe. Then sirens started sounding, not once, not twice, but three times. We went to our basement and my husband took a short catnap on the sofa. So, ok, so far, everything was good. At church the next day we were saddened to learn of much material damage that several friends and acquaintances had sustained, and we rejoiced and thanked God that no one we knew had been seriously injured. Then reports started coming on the news that the people of Woodward, Oklahoma had not been so fortunate. We heard about the Oaklawn area of Wichita and were saddened by the severe loss so many had sustained. But the real 'trauma' for me has come in the days since all that news. People who have studied the massive tornado-an EF4, three quarters of a mile wide-say that it was due to hit our town Due to hit it head on, in fact. At the last second, it moved a tiny bit east, and instead of going right through our town, it went into unpopulated areas. This is huge to me. What made it move? Why did it go the smallest angle to the east? Was God in this situation? Did the God of all creation spare us and change its path? Why were we spared and other places weren't? Someone told us the tornado was headed right down the interstate, but instead of continuing down that course, it "jumped" across to where there were no people. This is quite fascinating to me. I haven't really researched into this weather phenomenon....but I don't have to. I am a person of faith, and I know exactly what caused it to change course. I lay awake at 3:52 a.m. this morning thinking about if it had stayed on path, when we came out of the basement on Saturday, how our lives..and town...would have been changed. Our church is just completing a second building that will serve as a gym and activity center for youth. It's not quite finished, or paid for completely, but we could have lost it before we even had it. I know the people of our town would have pulled together and cleaned up and tried to help each other. I am just glad we didn't have to be put to that test-this time. I thank God that He diverted this monstrous storm just enough to spare many lives, and I continue to pray for and look for ways to help those who were impacted by it.