Today is the last day of Joplin Smile! Week on the blog. I am really glad I was able to work with such a great organization, cause, and such wonderful families. Autumn told me her story of what happened to her family on May 22nd, and here it is:

She had plans that Sunday night to go out to dinner with a friend. Her daughter, Serenity, was at her mom’s house and little baby Jackson would be dropped off there later. Serenity and Grandma had made hamburgers and were just sitting down to eat. Meanwhile, Autumn was at home with Jackson getting ready and monitoring the storm. After a few back and forth calls with her friend, they decided to hold off on dinner for a bit just until the storm passed. After a while, they thought they were safe so they got Jackson loaded up in the car to head over to Grandmas. Just as they pulled out of the driveway, the sirens went off so they headed back inside to turn on the TV. They learned that a tornado had hit the ground and then the power went off.

Autumn rushed to the bathtub with Jackson and called her mom. She learned that Serenity was in the hallway and covered with pillows then they lost the connection. “I was absolutely FREAKING out! Started texting my mom and her neighbor. Finally, I got a text back from the two of them at about the same time. One said ‘we’ve been hit.’ The other said ‘it tore the heck out of everything!!” Autumn, John, and Jackson rushed immediately to the car. Debris was everywhere! As they drove down 20th at 45 mph they dodged all kinds of things. They had to drive under a fallen tree to eventually get to her mother’s road. They passed a roof which lay in the middle of the road and a van upside down in a neighbors front yard. They found her parents and sweet little girl traumatized but okay.

Autumn’s mother lost so many memories in the tornado. Most missed are pictures of Autumn’s little sister, Stormy, who passed away in 2008.  My heart goes out to them in their loss.  I am happy that I got to capture these faces… smiling and OKAY!

Autumn adds: “In the end I think Joplin will be so much stronger and close knit after this horrible storm we all endured.”  I agree.