MOST PRECIOUS GIFT OF LOVE for both of us—MOM'S REQUIEM on VIDEO One Hour Later

 Not being able to be present at the funeral of Mom due to Pieter having had another heart attack and I myself having still therapy for my left hand—felt devastating.

But my BEST Friend Ellie went to the funeral with her daughter Elvira (our Goddaughter) and Elvira's husband had asked his boss permission for using the professional video camera—so he could capture Mom's Solemn Gregorian Requiem Mass

No words can describe what this meant to both of us for being able to watch it on my Mac just over an hour later...Below this video on YouTube you find clickable links with explanation in English and way below also in Dutch.Dad did select the special Kyrie Eleison deliberately as Mom sang it as a 1st soprano with the elderly choir for more than 25 years and for some 18 years with Dad together in the same choir.~Both of us were in The Netherlands on October 11, 1997 and went to Mass where Mom & Dad for the FIRST time ever—sang together in the elderly choir. Quite a historical fact.
Related links:My Angel Sister who Died TWICE | previous post by me about the denial by my sister to give Dad an equally solemn Gregorian Requiem Mass... Just now I can finally post Mom's Requiem Mass and for the rest we can only PRAY for those that denied this to my DadThinking about Mom and Dad on Saint Cecilia | previous post by me where Mom & Dad sing: I Pray To the Power of Love and what the choir also sang at Mom's Requiem Mass at clickable link 46:55{February 21, 2014 Tornado in our Subdivision} | previous post by me—Tornado while we went to Mom & Dad's Wedding Anniversary...

{February 21, 2014 Tornado in our Subdivision}

While we were still in The Netherlands on Friday morning, February 21, there was quite a strong tornado in our subdivision.

We were having dinner with our Goddaughter as I got a message on my iPhone from our cat-sitter, back home in Georgia.

I called her right away and learned about her ordeal that morning as she could not even enter the subdivision... The police had blocked off all entrance roads!

But they graciously let her pass via a different route so our kitties could get fed!!!

This is what we still found 5 days later, after having returned from The Netherlands from Mom & Dad's 65th Wedding Anniversary...
We did drive around our neighborhood for taking some photos...
Of course, most of the chaos had been cleaned up and hauled off already.

Yes, our Winfield Road is mentioned above in the newspaper article from Friday, February 21...

It also had rained excessively, still puddles of water after 5 days!

We are so blessed that our home and garden had no damage at all.

Our 6 felines were all found safe inside by our cat-sitter, once she could get through.

The heavy equipment from the county and the city also caused quite some damage...

We can only imagine how it must have looked right after the tornado came through.

Huge trees snapped off like matches...

 Most has been hauled away...

Sad sight in our neighborhood...

So muddy...

Wet - wet...

No wonder; 4.69 inches or 11.9 cm of rain in the time that we were gone!

How blessed we were for having finished all the water projects in time!

Our home stayed dry so all the back breaking hard work did pay off!

The force with which huge trees got uprooted...

Unreal...

Our entire subdivision in a way still has been blessed; only one injury...

Related link:
Severe Weather Hits North and Central Georgia | National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office
{Water Control Project Finished} | previous post by me about 4 projects to protect our home
{Fighting the Water + Scanning Slides} | previous post by me about Flood Water problem last year
{Our Damage from Tornado spin off of Hurricane Earl, 2003} | previous post by me

{Our Damage from Tornado spin off of Hurricane Earl, 2003}

• On Thursday morning, March 20 of 2003, we had a terrible Tornado spin off, of Hurricane Earl, that hit right here where we live. 
• Our creek side had been blooming for days with masses of creeping phlox. After the tornado struck, our two bridges were knocked out and the creeping phlox washed away... It looked like this:

• The power of wind and water... this was after the flood.
• On March 24, husband Pieter started to repair the bridge. 
• He actually was working on the construction of our Rose Suite at that time but this needed attention fast as we no longer could reach our wood garden for work.

• On March 26, Pieter had build this new bridge... 
• To the left you still see part of the previous bridge as it was flung high on the land. 
• Too heavy to even move it... Incredible how strong the powers of nature can be!
• To the right you see a few of the remaining creeping phlox, to the left they all had washed away...

• We don't have photos, only video, from how gorgeous it looked before with these pink masses of creeping phlox blooming. 
• Several years of work gone... 

• Pieter did use a crate from Sintra, in which our oak Oisterwijk furniture for the veranda had arrived from Rotterdam by boat.
• Trying to barricade the soil from washing away entirely...
• Azaleas blooming on the other side of the creek.

• March 20th 2003 - a deadly tornadic thunderstorm all the way into central Georgia...

~~0~~

We did have 2.94 inch or 7.5 cm of rain! 

Info obtained from weather.uga.edu

• Building paradise is not that easy... But we did start all over again.

Related link:
{IMPACT and AFTERMATH of TROPICAL THUNDERSTORMS} | later post by me about our bridges
{2004 Hurricane Francis - Our Garden Before and After} | previous post by me