If worrying burned calories I would have lost 40 pounds last night.

Who could sleep when a potentially deadly storm was heading my way? After seeing the images of the devastation in Tuscaloosa, I felt like I should take the impending weather very seriously. My brand new weather radio sat perched beside my computer and I was poised to act fast if an alert sounded over it's tiny speaker. It was 1 am and I had tried to lay down and sleep a few times but my heart was too jumpy.

A live streaming report of the storm played before me on my computer screen as I watched a huge red blob head my way. I was scared, call me crazy, but I wanted to be up when the storm hit so that I wouldn't be taken off guard. Reports of tornadoes touching down all around the outskirts of Atlanta seemed too close for comfort even though they were miles and miles and miles away from my quiet home.

I could hear thunder in the distance and a light rain pitter patted on my roof. The storm was knocking at our front door. Suddenly, my weather radio went off and the computer generated voice announced that a tornado had touched ground in a county about 30 minutes away. The broadcaster on the live stream announced that if you lived in the southeast area of our county to take cover. Being that I live in that area, you only have to tell me something like that once.

Roger and I grabbed the children and we all huddled in the tub. Griffin was nervous and asking tons of questions. I tried to act calm but inside my heart was racing. Would we be okay? Would our home be okay? I know that it sounds dramatic but when a storm that has killed people in it's path is just 30 minutes away, life suddenly feels very real and very fragile.

The four of us huddled in the bathroom and listened to our weather radio. I had my Ipad in my lap and tuned to Weather.com. Uncertainty sat with us as we waited it out. I said a prayer and asked God to station angels around our home. My mother had taught me that I could assign angels of protection as a child when I was scared. I've stationed angles outside my window my entire life and last night, when I prayed that prayer, I imagined a beautiful winged being shielding us above the tub.

Then something amazing happened. The big red blob that was floating our way on the map started shifting to the south of us. The entire storm slipped past us and it looked as if our little town had a protective bubble around it as the atmosphere swirled above and below us. It missed us! We barley even had lightning or thunder. We were safe. Now, I don't want to take credit for moving an entire storm away from my family but I think it's safe to say that my prayer was answered. Thank God I am a praying woman.

As we all breathed a sigh of relief, I thought of all the families in the south that weren't so lucky. My heart breaks for them and I am so grateful that I was being over dramatic when I imagined my house being carried off by a twister. I am holding my children tighter, I am appreciating the feeling of home, and I am praying for the families who lost theirs. The tornado had other plans last night and I am so happy that he didn't stop by to sit a spell. He seemed to be an unruly houseguest.

Please pray for the families of the 194 victims of this storm.