Two Years Later

The last two years went by in a blur, a blink and, at the same time, in many ways, slow motion.

Two years ago I was running for my life to the basement as I saw the tornado approaching our home.

A mere minute or less later and the devastation was immense. 

From that moment on, we lived through the multi-stages of rebuild and restoration and where we couldn't restore, created something new.

We couldn't get back what we lost. The trees were gone forever — 15 of them, many which reached into the sky. Our property, once cleared, was laid bare for everyone to see as they drove up the hill. 

Slowly but surely our home was good enough to live in, although the construction continued until late in the year.

Then the trees were planted. A few at a time as we could afford them, gardens added, our stone paths restored until we had a modicum of privacy again. And we have grass!  We haven't had a lawn for next to forever because of the trees, pine needles and lack of sunlight.

It's amazing how many memories I have of these past 2 years, how our community still holds together to support and check in with one another. That's the best part of this all. 

Construction is ongoing for some of the homes in the neighbourhood. We were luckier than most as we found an amazing builder who worked diligently to get us back home.

We still look out to the back yard wistfully as we miss the towering trees but we cheer the new ones on. As we're on the corner and even in the midst of a pandemic, neighbours who walk by stop to talk and check in, commenting on the new landscape.

There's lots to be grateful for. The gratitude greatly outweighs the sadness, although the memory of that day will live on for a long time to come. It took 2 years, but it finally feels like home.

Here are the last 2 years in pictures.