This is a very personal post, but I wanted to share a few words and thoughts with my L1 family and friends that I've made on the forum and at the various
Bose events.

This past Thursday at !:00 a.m., our house took a direct hit from a tornado that touched down in south Georgia. My wife was sound asleep and I was up doing a bit of reading and relaxing after a great choir rehearsal at church just a few hours earlier.

I heard what seemed to be the sound of a normal thunder storm with a few pine cones and small branches hitting the roof. Suddenly everything changed. In the time of just a few seconds the lights went out and I heard the sound of strong winds, large trees being broken and, yes, something that sounded very much like a train going through the house. I instantly knew we were about to be hit by a tornado.

We've heard it said, "timing is everything". Indeed. I awoke my wife and we made it into an interior hall about 10 seconds before the trees came crashing through the roof in three rooms including the bedroom.

We escaped with nothing but a few scratches a two very grateful hearts. Our neighbors and friends were also very blessed in that there Were were no serious injuries as far as we know.

btw my studio with my L1 and several guitars made out quite well. It looks like I will have the opportunity to make some LIVE music yet once again.

What I'm feeling right now after this experience is not very different from what I felt bt (before tornado). It's just more intense.

All of life is a gift from God. Celebrate and live to the fullest in service to others. Sing, dance and make music like each day may be the last.

Stuff is just Stuff. People matter the most.
Stuff sometimes can help us relate to others as we make live music. Use and enjoy the stuff but get out and make some live music and enrich some ones life. I sure plan to do it more.

Sorry for the long post, but I just needed to vent a bit. thanks for reading.

Blessings to all,

Rick

Dear Rick,

I am so grateful to hear from you post tornado.

How, in the midst of all of this, did you think of us here? Who knows? But thank you.

"just more intense"... Got it!

ST

Dear Rick,
Thank God you and your wife are OK. It is amazing the thoughts and bonds we have all developed in this group. I wish you all the best in the recovery process, but thanks be to God for looking out for the both of you.
As we give thanks for each day we have to share our gifts of love, life, laughter and the talent we have been given, you are both in my thoughts and prayers.

Joel

Hey Rick- I watched those storms moving south of us. It never occured to me someone I know was in the path. Glad you are both safe. Roy & Martha

Rick,

I'm so glad you & your wife are okay & that it has brought so much clarity for you. My heart goes out to you.

I went through a tornado like that back in 1980 in Grand Island, Nebraska. It lifted the roof off a friend's house we were in (we got to the basement just in time) & totaled the car I had at the time that was parked out front. The sense of amazement as I saw the awesome power & bizarre events will always stay with me. The storm hung over our small town of 40,000 for 3 hours & made repeated hits with multiple strikes before it dissipated - seemingly into thin air.

It's remarkable how much it sounds like a train & the sense of pressure change too. We had so many weird things like straw driven into still-inflated tires like arrows & entire walls being gone with pieces of paper sitting on a shelf untouched right next to where the walls had once been.

Anyway, I'm glad you're okay.

Tom

Thanks for letting us know about this Rick..Sending you & your town many prayers.Stay safe as many injuries happen after the event during the clean up...peace to you..harry
Dancing Dog Muse

Rick, those tornadoes of late have really taken a toll. I am very happy that you made it through this disaster in good shape and have been reminded of something very important. Thanks for sharing that knowledge with us.

OOOOOHHHH Rick!!!!

I am SO sorry to hear and see this. I am thankful you and your wife made it out with only scratches. So many people, at that hour of the day, never make it through a devastating tornado!

You know, I was listening the other morning to NPR and the news and heard just a snippet of "tornados in Georgia" the night before, and I immediately thought of you and Roy. I didn't hear any specifics about the location, but it was just a fleeting thought about whether you guys were safe or not, and then I moved on to something else in my morning routine.

Rick, one of my other "active" hobbies that I'm involved with is a program called, SKYWARN. We encourage people to become aware of the safety aspects of "what to do in a tornado", as well as observing the signs of potentially severe thunderstorms, etc. The thing we always tell people is, "get to the lowest level, interior room or hallway". You did EXACTLY that! I'm proud of you!

Look for a PM from me....John

Very glad to hear you two are ok. Praise God!

You're right - it's people that count. Though I don't relish any disasters, we need a wake up call occasionally to reassess what's really important. When you come close to death but survive it, you seem to see things clearer for awhile. Wish that clarity would last...

You got that right, Rick ("people matter the most"). Those are great thoughts for all of us. A brush with The Apocolypse can really bring those to the surface in a hurry. That's an amazing story, u-all making it just under the wire. Man, what a mess in the photo. A good opportunity to redo the garden, 'ah (not that it isn't already redone)? I'm happy you're reporting that all are safe and sound. Thanks for an amazing story and a fine positive approach to it, an inspiration from an inspiring cat. Need some pt ToneMatch (tornado re-voiced the guitars?)?

Rick, thanks for sharing this experience and the always important reminder of what our priorities should be. Your pictures and words were very meaningful. We are grateful that you guys remained safe and healthy.

Chas

Rick, is there anything that we can do for you?

Oh my god, Rick, I am so sorry this happened. But I am so relieved that no one was seriously hurt.

My brother was in a tornado when he was helping to build our cabin in Northern Minnesota. He hid under the platform for the house and huge branches started breaking through the platform, like knives in a box.

Rick, how are you doing?

Ken

Good to hear you are safe.

It's hard to imagine how life can change in an instant, when we are just humming along with our day. We often get caught up in the little things in life, like the driver in front of us moving slow, when we should just relax, take a deep breath and enjoy the mundane.

God be with you and yours, and I hope things come back together quickly for you.

G.

Rick!

I'm so glad you had the presence of mind to get you and your wife into the hallway so quickly. And thanks for the reminder about the relative value of life and possessions.

That being said, I'm glad your studio made out well.

Sure hope to see and play with you again before too much more time passes.

Be well,

Alan

Thanks to all for the kind words and prayers.

We are really doing well and are blessed in so many ways. It's really exciting to see people helping each other, strangers becoming friends, and the community coming together.

Many jobs have been created and I imagine that some who were about to go under financially have some hope and much needed work.

Life is still life after the storm and it's going to be interesting as the journey continues. I hope we grow from it and get better at this thing we call living.

Making music is more exciting than ever before.

I thank God for His mercy and amazing grace.

Blessings to all,

Rick

Hi Rick,

I'm late in commenting, but I'm no less greatful than the rest that you and your wife made it through.

John