Counting My Blessings

Today was the first day that I have been back to work since the tornado tore through our state. It totally damaged a large portion of our school district. Donnie and I drove through earlier this week looking for my kids houses or the remains of their homes. With no power or phones in that area until yesterday, I was unable to get in touch with some of them. I was really nervous about how school would be today. We spent our morning meeting time sharing their experiences. Three of my kids no longer have their home to live in. They were very upset but held strong. They were so excited to get a new book bag and supplies today. Luckily they were not hurt. About 50 of our students cannot live in their homes either because it is too damaged and in need of repairs and many homes are now just a pile of rubble. Three of our teachers/staff homes are gone. The 15 year old girl that did not make it was one of my former students. I taught her and her sister. Needless to say, this makes you think about the more important things in life and count your blessing.