Sweet Home Alabama...part 2 (an update that is actually quilt related!)

Update: Pics are now loading on this post.

The sign was added to the cross reminding the community "For WE are the Temple of the Living God " 2Cor6:16

My home county is still dealing with terrible aftermath from the tornadoes that came through last week. Many people in the affected areas still don't have electricity. It's very much like the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that my in-laws in Mississippi dealt with. Don't stop praying for them if you have been...they need it!  The photos in this post are borrowed with permission from a family friend and great photographer, Sherry Wilson Davis.  I have info on her at the bottom of this post.  The photos are not related to the story but they are images from the area.



Just wanted to share an amazing update about my brother-in-law's mom (Mrs. C) who lost her home in the tornado. If you recall, she had fallen in her home and my brother-in-law had her at their home so he could help her get to an appointment. Her life was saved because she had that fall, because her home was completely destroyed.

I remember my sister saying that Mrs. C seemed very upset that the quilt tops she had made for her grandchildren on their wedding day were probably destroyed or who knows where. My sister said people have been finding debris from Mississippi in Alabama. She told me people in Tennessee had found debris from Alabama. Things were looking grim. My brother-in-law and his family went to look for what they could salvage from her home. Literally all that is now there is a wooden front railing, some foundation pieces, and a patch of dead dirt where a house used to be.

Y'all wanna guess what they found???

ALL of the quilt tops she made for her grandchildren on their wedding day...

The war medals her late husband had earned fighting for this country.

A kimono and shoes her brother brought her back from his time in Japan during WW2.

Love letters her late husband had written to her.

No furniture. No electronics. Nothing "valuable" to the rest of the world, but everything priceless to her and those who love her.

I don't call that a coincidence. I call that God showing that He not only cares for us, he intimately knows us and what is important to us.

The only wall left standing in this particular church had this mural on it...

The photographer who captured these images, Sherry Wilson Davis, said evidence of God's love and mercy is all around even in the midst of this destruction. She is an amazing photographer with an ability to really capture things whether it be a sweet smile, an emotion, an idea, or a moment.  Her facebook fan page is here.  If you live in in or around North Alabama, you should really check out having a session with her through her business, Sweetest Memories Photography.  She's a really sweet person who normally takes pictures of sweet children and families but was moved to capture the images going on around her (I think she thinks about photography as much as I think about quilting).  No, she didn't pay me for my good opinion (y'all should know by now nobody ever pays me for my opinions!), she earned it the old fashioned way.  She did cure my first born of all day crying and give me my sanity back so she's a saint in my book all the way around. 

UPDATE: I am getting emails that the pics are not coming through.  For me, they are, but the load time is longer than normal.  Blogger would not let me resize these below XLarge.  I usually use medium or large.  Sorry for the inconvenience. 

Another UPDATE: Bloggie Friend Willa emailed me that Pioneer Woman has some relief efforts going on on her blog.  It does my heart good to see people outside the US show love and support.  Here is THE LINK .  She's donating 25 cents for every comment and doing a giveaway to to charities.  Go pitch in!