Several of you may know that on Saturday, a tornado went through Middle Tennessee, coming close to myself, plus people and places I care about. As always, there are a few “gifts,” even in tough situations and I want to share something sweet that came out of this trying time.

When the first warnings to take cover came in, I was in Madison, in the Rivergate shopping area with our granddaughter. We hung out in the back of a store, but I was feeling torn about whether to stay there or try to get home. I finally decided to make a run for our home in Hendersonville.

My husband was coming back from our build site west of Nashville, so he was also out on the road, adding to my concern. As we left the store, we were about ten minutes in front of him.

When my granddaughter and I pulled into our driveway, we saw an Amazon driver leaving us a package on our front porch. “Oh no! What is she going to do?!” I said to my granddaughter. But my narrow focus was on our safety and I quickly pulled into our garage.

Before I even got out of my car, the Amazon driver knocked on my window. She apologized for scaring me, but asked if she could take shelter with us. She had been planning to drive to a gas station, but when she saw us, she got the courage to ask for help. I’m so glad she thought to do that. It was hard to think clearly in such a state.

My husband came home shortly after, and while the Amazon driver, myself and our granddaughter got into our crawl space, he was standing in the driveway trying to round up our outside cats. Truthfully, he wanted to see if he could see or hear the tornado. (He quickly joined us after seeing the big explosion in the sky!)

Our Amazon driver Haley (name changed and face blurred to protect her privacy), told me she moved here several years ago and had never experienced a tornado. She was scared and tearful. I was so glad she didn't have to go through this alone at a gas station.

I prayed a lot and held Haley's hand as well as our granddaughter’s. We sat on sleds and listened to hail hitting the house. Although it was intense, I could tell it was a special moment, a holy moment, the kind we’ll remember forever. So of course we took a photo!

As you can see from the smiles, we kept our spirits up. When Haley told me how scared she was, I knew I couldn’t afford to be afraid and that my job was to convey hope, reassurance and even conviction that we were all going to be fine. God always helps me help others in crisis situations, and then helps me recover when I crash from the adrenaline later.

In our time underneath the house, I learned that Haley is homeless, and has been going through a really hard time. I was so glad that God brought her to us! I told her I had seen my share of hard times and struggles, too, and made sure she felt accepted.

Haley said she's been looking for a church where people wouldn’t look down on her and she could feel like she belonged. I go to a church that is especially known for how we love on everyone. I guess it took a tornado for Haley to find us. We exchanged numbers and I'm hopeful she will come to our church next week.

Just when we thought the storm was mostly over, the lights flickered and went out. We crawled out from under the house and Haley went on her way. While I was relieved the tornado had passed, I was sorry to see her go,

What a great reminder during the holiday season to always be grateful, even for the most basic things like shelter, water and meaningful connections.

I am praying for all who encountered loss, especially the ultimate loss of lives. My sweet home gallery, All About Art Gallery and Framing is in jeopardy due to structural issues. If you are inclined, please say a prayer for them, plus all the residents and other local businesses who were impacted at such a critical time of year.