Cherish Today

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I am writing to you on Tuesday evening about 6:00 p.m. from our friends’ house in Cookeville, Tennessee. Ray and I are fine. Our children and grandchildren are fine. We haven’t had power since 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning. Our Internet and landline are down and I had no cell phone coverage until mid-afternoon.

A tornado hit in Cookeville during the very early morning hours today. At least eighteen people died, eighty-eight were injured, and many are missing. Ray and I came into town this evening for me to write to you, to eat a hot meal, and to attend a prayer service.

We live about 25 minutes from the part of Cookeville where the tornado hit. We know the area well. Ray has breakfast there every Friday morning with a group of Christian men. I appreciate those of you who realized that we were near the place where the storms happened last night and checked on us during the day yesterday. We were awakened again and again in the night but, when we got up this morning, the only clues we had about the devastation were the lack of power and the bits of debris in our yard. This debris was evidently from the damage from tornadoes west of us in Nashville or some of the other towns to our west.

I visited some of our grandchildren this afternoon. We sat outside and read a book. When we finished, the three-year-old grandson in my lap asked me to hold him forever and ever. 

Forever and ever. Forever and ever is one of God’s many gifts to us. The events in Cookeville on Tuesday remind us to cherish today and to look forward to forever and ever.

I will cause Your name to be remembered in all generations;
Therefore the peoples will give You thanks forever and ever.
Psalm 45:17

Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.
Psalm 145:2

For such is God, Our God forever and ever;
He will guide us until death.
Psalm 48:14

Update: Our power came back on last evening. Our hearts are broken for the people in Cookeville and in other places in Middle Tennessee.

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