Loryn Brown... You Will Always Be Loved!

Well here we are, two days after the huge tornado tore across the South.  With fatality numbers rising and new "road blocks" every day, I would have expected many people to say the famous, "Oh my gosh, that's awful" and go back to their lives. But you know what? That is exactly the opposite of what is occuring across our state.

There has been more people pull together in the last two days than I have ever seen in my lifetime. People who have never met, previous enemies, and people we will never know have given their time, money, supplies, blood, prayers, and assistance to people they will never know. The only way to explain such selflessness is to acknowledge that God is definitely walking with each and every one of us right now, even if you do not want to hold his hand. I personally have clung to Him over the past few days more than I ever have, and I specifically was not even devastated by this disaster. But, I need him, and fortunately, He's here with me!

When I heard of a specific fatality of a girl who graduated from Edgewood Academy, Loryn Brown, I automatically did what many of you have done or will do if you did not know her: I looked her up on facebook.  From what I can tell, she was the All American Beauty Pageant Winning Surrounded by Friends Great Personality College Student. She was smiling in almost every single picture, and her curly hair was wild and free... something I find beautful in itself.

The last picture of Loryn with the houndstooth shoulder strap is my absolute favorite... There's something about the look on her face and the sparkle in her eye (and her awesome bright white teeth that we all would envy!) that seems to say, "I am so completely happy at this very moment!"

It appears that her mother came to Tuscaloosa not too long ago and they went on a little family photo shoot for a day. I found myself thanking God that they took the time to do that, as many of us rarely do.  Those pictures will be cherished by many forever, and they will always have them! Loryn looked identical to her mother, which is where she got her beautiful curls and bright smile. When you look like your  mother and you are close to your mother as it seems like she was, there is a special bond... maybe from always hearing, "She's a spitting image of you!" I read in one of her picture comments where someone wrote, "Loryn, you look beautiful." and Loryn's response was this:"Thanks! You know I get it from my mom!" Breaks my heart... You know that could have just as easily have been you or me, and for many, it almost was!

Below is the link to the news clip of Loryn's parent's that aired last night.

http://www.wsfa.com/Global/story.asp?S=14545445

I've found myself hoping that she didn't know quite how bad it was, and praying that she didn't suffer.  I know how scared I was in my closet and I didn't have a tornado outside my house. What I felt when I looked at her picture was sadness mixed with fear, because of this: When she smiled so big for the camera, she had no idea that her life would be taken so early. She thought she had forever, just like we think we do. One of her picture captions even says, "You can't replace this!" And you know what? She was exactly right.  Having done thousands of autopsies, I've often caught myself wondering what each person would do different if they knew their time to be called to heaven would be soon.. Would they change anything? Would she have changed anything? Would we change anything? What would it be?

We are all fortunate to have the opportunity to change things in our lives from this point on, because our fragile lives were spared! We are still alive, and we have to rethink how we all live. The story of our lives is determines by the compilation of each an every day we live and our actions.  I have the urge to contact old friends and family members that I often think of but do not take the time to let them know... how long would it take? A few extra minutes? I received a message a few years ago from a fellow classmate, Justin Rye. All it said was, "Hey girl. I just wanted to see how you have been doing lately." I checked the message and realized I was late for class and I decided I would write back a little later... two days later, he passed away. I never wrote him back. We were not close friends, but we WERE friends and that's what matters now... And I will always wish I had let him know that instead of deciding to write back later.  Tuscaloosa RIGHT NOW should show us all that we may not have later!

My husband is heading home for a temporary stay as I type, and I am so thankful that God kept him safe while he dealt with the fatalities there. From my own experience working with death and autopsies and mass fatalities, when you come home from an area of devastation surrounded by death constantly for an extended amount of time, the transformation to ordinary life is so stressful. It is like temporary Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and you don't even realize it until it hits you hard! I worked a mass murder a while back, and it took me days to relax and ease back to being normal, because you play everything over and over all the time, and then someone asks you what you want for dinner. Dinner? Why would you be talking about dinner when these people are suffering? That's what you think, but unless you have been there, you would not understand.


While I have worked situations very similar, I have not been with him during this experience, therefore I do not understand fully now. Please pray that God gives me the ability to comfort him when he comes home. We work so well together because we both have such a strong ability to block out and deal with death and trauma, but we do this together. For those who do not know, our relationship started because we work together.  So from the beginning, we have been a partner to each other, and we have leaned on each other through each difficult day. I've done autopsies on children hundreds of times, and he was right there holding my up in his own little way, letting me know that he truly knows what emotions I had to learn to deal with.  In fact, he taught me how to deal with death... He taught me different coping mechanisms and how to be successful. He physically trained me in a lot of areas at my job (before we started dating), and his mentality was, "I'm going to make you better than I ever was." Where I am weak, he is strong and visa versa. He is the strongest man I know when dealing with this kind of situation, but a situation like this can bring you to your knees really quickly.... and this time it's up to me to catch him when he falls. This is the first time we have been apart on scenes, so this is a new area for me. We are a team, but  have to learn how to play my position this time from the sidelines.

Now multiply that by thousands. That's how many people are dealing with these emotions. Think about how many parents are picking up their college children who rode out the tornado, and the are devastated and traumatized. What do you say to your child in a time like this? While you are thankful they survived, you cannot understand what emotions they are experiencing.  Pray harder for those people, because they are not acclamated with death as we are. This is our life because of our career in forensics, but so many people have not been trained to deal with this emotion and it is SO hard! Pray that God gives them peace... And I know he will.

I love you all!

The Tornado Will Not Win!!

Hello friends!

As you already know, several horrible tornados ripped through Alabama last night as we all watched helplessly from the comfort of our own homes. We may have been uncomfortable with our kids and pets in our cramped "safe place," but now, if you are like me, you are continuously thanking God that He gave you a safe place to hide from the storm.

Fortunately, we all have the opportunity to assist and help those who were not as fortunate as ourselves, and I pray that each and every one of you find it in your hearts to help in the way that God leads you to help. The minor things we take for granted each day are so very needed by MANY people, and if you take a few minutes to look, I am positive you can find an extra blanket, pillow, or bottle of Shampoo that will never be missed. But, before you look, take a moment to pray and ask God that He tells you what He needs you to send, that He will show you the item that will make a huge difference to another family. Then, pray for him to open your eyes so that you may know what he is saying.

This is a time when we cannot be selfish.  We often save many items "just in case" we need them at a future time. Well, THIS is that time, and the reason you saved them is NOW.  It is not another country or even another state that needs your assistance.  No, this time, it is your neighbor, your friends, and your own cities that need help. Don't make them ask, and cheerfully give what you can! It could just as easily have been you or me in this situation, and I would hope that someone would help me just the same.

A good friend of mine and her family lost everything they own last night. By the grace of God they are safe and together. They came out of their house and went into their stom shelter.  Minutes later, they came out of their storm shelter and the only thing left was 4 trees and the foundation of their house. The flowers in the flower beds were still in their perfect little places, but their cars still have not been located. They literally have the clothes on their backs, and every video, every memory, every item they owned is not ruined, it s not dirty, it is GONE! No where to be found at all. Now multiply this by thousands...

Due to the fact that I have been very sick lately, I cannot assist physically in the clean up there. Thankfully, God has answered my prayers, and the medication I am currently taking has made an improvement that allows me to stay awake and alert! Usually, this is But, my mother and I are driving two car loads of supplies to Tuscaloosa this afternoon to help.  I have items for my friends, but we are also bringing items to anyone who needs them. Just being there may let them know that they are not alone.  If you have anything you can give, please let me know though facebook.  I will be driving back to Montgomery tomorrow to pick up another load to bring there, so if you still have time! But, I need to be notified if you have items, because time will be limited and in order to get everything theren safely, we can't drive all over the county to pick up items from each person. I'll arrange everything if you have ANYTHING!

When I was gathering items in my house, I thought that I had better read my devotional journal first. I said a prayer that God would show me which part of the journal to read to show guide me where I am to go to assist, and He told me to open randomly. This is what was written on the page:

He leads us on by paths we did not know;
Upward He leads us, though our steps be slow;
Though oft we faint and falter on the way;
Though storms and darkness oft obscure the day;
Yet when the clouds are gone;
We know He leads us on.

Now if that doesn't tell you that God was listening to me, read what was written underneath that:

Your guide will keep to no beaten path. He will lead you by a way such as you never dreamed your eyes would look on. He knows no fear, and He expects you to fear nothing while He is with you.

My prayer was answered instantly!

My sweet husband, Scott, is headed to Tuscaloosa as we speak. He is in charge of the Department of Forensics Mass Disaster Team, so unfortunately as you all know what "forensics" means, he is going solely to work with the people who lost their lives last night.  As in any disaster situation, the longer deceased bodies are outside, the risk of infection and disease grows. Please pray that he will be a solid leader for the disaster team, and that God will watch over them as they do the worst job imaginable. I am honored to be married to the man who is in charge of this difficult task, and I know that he will use his skill and knowledge to be the most effective leader that he can be.

Many days I have prayed that his phone would not ring to call him into the destruction, and I have worried about his safety in the event that he was called out.  Fortunately, he his team has not been activated until now. What I found was that when I was helping him pack supplies this morning for his mission, I did not feel nervous our scared, but I felt pride and peace. God will watch over him and his team, and I trust this more than I ever have. Before he left, I told him I felt like we needed to say a prayer together, and he agreed.  Leaning in he drivers side door of his car, I wrapped my arms around his neck, told him loved him, and I started speaking to God for both of us. I asked to wrap His arms around my husband and keep hm safe from harm. I asked him to place it on Scott's heart where he needs him to be, and show him who he needs to help. I asked God to allow Scott to be receptive and give him the patient ability to listen to what God is trying to say, regardess of other instructions.

Before he left, Scott reminded me that his job was to deal with the fatalities while he was there, and he would not be able to pass out supplies and he reminded me that he would most likely be inside a morgue most of the time. This made me smile, to which he looked confused... I said, "Scott, you don't know what your job is right now. In this situation, you do not get to choose our job. As soon as I said that prayer, you lost control of what your plan is,and your put it in Gods hands. Fortunately, everything is out of your control."  and with that I turned and walked back into the house.
This morning I was headed to the beach to sleep for the next four days. But, the beach is not where I am supposed to go. There are SO many people who have given their time to help those in need. Please also pray that God will direct them where to go.

I read a story a while back that I will share with you. I read that on Septembe 11, 2001, when the terrorist attacks occured, there was a retired marine that lived in Connecticut. He saw the devastation on television, and he immediately knew he had to help. He prayed that God would show him who he needed to help and show him where to go to find the victims and make the most difference. He put on his old marine uniform, packed a bag, put the top down on his convertible, and drove as fast as he could to the twin towers. Everything was calculated as he knew that if he was a civilian, the road blocks would not grant him access into te city, but so many military forces had been activated that they would now know he was retired. They simply looked into his convertible, saw the marine uniform, and granted him immediate access. When he got to ground zero, he saw the officers and people instructing workers where to look. He decided he would go search in the area that had been designated as "clear" and off limits. He said it was if it was called into that direction. He ran into a man who had a very similar idea, and they searched together for survivors, and this was unknown to any other people searching, as they were in an uncharted area. After looking and yelling for survivors, they heard a tiny yell. Slowly, the moved debris for hours and hours, until they uncovered what was an elevator full of survivors. Survivors that would have been missed if he had ignored God's instructions and guidance. Two people out of both of those buildings may seem small, but I bet when those few survivors tuck their kids in at night or kiss their wives good morning, they thank God everyday that the marine had a Christian heart.

So, I'm going to go now so I can finish packing. I hope you took something away from this, and I pray that you see the truth. We are ALL family, but some of our family is hurt... Can you help?