I hope that none of you who read this page lost anyone or anything in the storm that hit Tuscaloosa on Saturday. I know that some of you have certainly been affected by the storm, either directly or by knowing people whose lives will be dramatically different over the next few weeks, months, or perhaps forever.

I live off Bear Creek Road, about 1/2 mile from where much of the devastation occurred. I feel quite fortunate that I lost nothing in the storm. I know people who lost more than I can imagine. The little girl in the now famous photo in Sunday's Tuscaloosa News is in my son's class at Englewood. When her and her mother recover, this little girl will be without her father and 15-month old brother. I am sure that her life will be very different for this storm having hit on Saturday.

The tornado came about 1/2 mile from our house, but we lost absolutely nothing. I spent Saturday down in the middle of the war zone (and that is a description chosen intentionally after having seen the devastation and all of the rescue vehicles). It is amazing how devastating those storms can be, and how arbitrary the destruction is; there really seems to be no rhyme nor reason as to who gets affected and who is untouched. I saw three homes in a row separated by about 180 feet; the first was untouched, the second was hit pretty bad, and the third was basically gone! You can see the damage these storms create in photos, you can see overhead views from helicopters, you can view the scene from live-cams, and all that, but until you see people wandering around in complete shock, searching for loved ones, not wanting to believe that they have nothing material left, you really can't get a feel for how completely life-altering these things are. I know that I never really realized this until Saturday when I had the opportunity to try and assist folks in the aftermath of the storm.

It warms my heart to see and hear about people reaching out to the victims of the storm, offering their time, love, and possessions to victims. It makes me proud to be a part of a caring community, to be able to help folks who are going about the business of getting their lives back together without publicly declaring "why me" and "this is so unfair", and to see an American flag flying at half-mast on a make-shift pole over Hinton Place. Many images will stick in my mind from this weekend. Some of them will warm me while others will chill me to the bone.

I know this for a fact experiences such as this storm that come close to me (thankfully not too close) help me to remember the things that are most important to me: my wife, my children, my faith. Christmas came early to the Pooh house this weekend. It came in the form of a storm that for whatever reason veered off to the east about a half mile before reaching my home. For me to rise on Sunday and see my wife and two children sleeping soundly, to hear laughter at a breakfast table, and to be able to take a day to assist some people who face many, many days of hardship to come…, well Santa might as well not worry with old Pooh, cause I got all I care about for Christmas.

Again, I hope that you Alabama gymnastics fans were untouched by the tragedy that struck our community on Saturday. For those of you who were not, I pray that you are able to pick up the pieces and put your lives back together as soon as possible. For those of you who lost nothing of any consequence, I hope that you take the opportunity to realize what is really important in your lives.

I know that so many of you are getting really excited about the coming gymnastics season, and well you should be because it should be exciting. However, before the gymnastics season gets going, I hope that you take a bit of time to enjoy the things that are really important to you. I hope that you each enjoy the love of family, you each have a wonderful holiday, and you each get exactly what you really want for Christmas. And please remember this, do not shoot any intruders coming down the chimney wearing red next Sunday night; although I got all I want for Christmas this past weekend, there are two little Pooh cubs who still have a healthy Christmas list.

Merry Christmas,