Warnings had gotten out and they were being heeded, according to the buggies that scrambled down the grocery aisles last Friday. Any snow forecast in the South will always empty the grocery shelves, but we saw that storms and especially tornado threats will do the same thing.

Just watching the clouds race above us would have been a fascinating pastime but there was no time for that. Ninety-mile-per-hour winds were the possible threats we were facing, and that wasn’t considering the possibility of tornadoes. I knew there was no way to harness or obstruct the winds, but there were some preparations I could make.

The bags of leaves that were waiting for the garbage pick-up day needed to be moved to a shelter. All the tools I had been putting to use were gathered and secured in a dry place. There were the newly potted succulents that winds and heavy rains would dismember, so outside was no place for them to be exposed for the approaching storms. I rearranged them along with some other shelter-needing pots. I made sure that the garden globe that had survived other storms and high winds was scooted to a sheltered corner in our courtyard.

Baseball-size hail turned my head when I thought about our vehicles. With a two-carport space, we chose my car and Othel’s truck to have that luxury. A granddaughter offered their space for the Jeep since they would be out of town.

The possibility of any size hail posed threats to the shingles, windows and the newly transplanted flower bed, but those were areas that only God could protect. Having our phones freshly charged and accessible flashlights were tasks I could perform.

As the winds turned the wind chimes’ melodies to clashing noise, I knew the storms were closing in. I had made all the preparations within my strength and knowledge. I prayed God would protect what I couldn’t.

The reduced street traffic told me that many had heeded the warning. People had sought refuge in their homes and shelters, hoping the weather predictions would take a different path.

Seeing is believing. Many in our area are accustomed to hearing the frightening tornado sirens or have experienced being in the path of a tornado. All of us have driven through the aftermath of a tornado or watched their devastation in news coverage. There are no doubters when it comes to the power and potential destruction of a tornado touching down.

Still, I understood that my preparation might protect vehicles and some outdoor plants from hail or high winds, but there was no way I could protect life or property from an oncoming tornado.

God has warned of another kind of imminent destruction when there will be an end to His patience, mercy and grace. A final word of “Depart” will come, and no one can “forecast” that day or night. However, Jesus has offered a saving preparation so that none have to perish. “I am the way, . . .your only shelter, your only refuge on that coming end time,” John 3:16 is an invitation to “whosoever.” Some heed and make preparations. 

“How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” Hebrews 2:3.

Camille Anding, The Daily Leader, P. O. Box 551, Brookhaven, MS 39602.