Here’s a thing that’ll make a gal miss Southern California: the tornado that ripped through town this week, right between where my two daughters live in Texas. While I’m super grateful that we suffered absolutely no damage to either residence, it was incredibly unsettling to drive between the two homes and see the destruction (there are seven miles between us). Roofs blown off, fences down, cars upside down, chimneys collapsed, power lines lying across the roads, light poles snapped in half. It was surreal. It made me feel both overwhelmingly nauseous and hyper-thankful at the same time.

I’m grateful that we were unscathed, but I’m super sad for the folks here who have homes marked with red tags and so much to sort out. This was not a major event in the grand scheme of things — thankfully, no one died — but it sure puts it into perspective that what you have could be taken from you in a matter of moments. Even when you don’t live on the San Andreas fault.

Today, the sun is shining and there is a light breeze. The sky is bright blue and so pretty you don’t want to take your eyes from it. It is welcoming, calming, rejuvenating. Texas, you’re so weird.

**Photo taken by my son-in-law as he tried to get home from work that day. This is a travel trailer flipped over in someone’s yard. **