There was something on tv today about some of the miracles that occurred that day the tornado hit the mall in Rivergate. They were talking about the lady who was injured yet somehow made it to the Hendersonville hospital despite the storm still going at near full force.

I remember what happened to me that day too. It wasn't anything as dramatic as that, but still I think there were quite a few miracles going on that day.

I remember that I was in town that day to do some shopping - the main thing on my mind was to get to MegaMarket for some oranges. It was cloudy but the sun still shone quite a bit. I hadn't planned to stop at the mall but as I went by, I decided that it couldn't hurt to do a bit of window shopping...

I noticed that it seemed to be getting darker but didn't think much about it until I pulled into the parking lot of the mall. That's when I saw the nasty looking purplish blue - black cloud looming to the south. I knew immediately what it meant - after all, it wasn't the first time I'd experienced a tornado. Still, I didn't do much except whimper and stare at the cloud.

That's when the voice spoke. It wasn't a physical voice - it was much more like a telepathic communication yet I heard it loud and clear. All it said was, "Go get your oranges."

I didn't think about it at the time but that meant driving toward the cloud. I didn't even question it. I just did it. Suddenly those oranges were the most important things in the world to me.

It's odd but I don't remember too much about it. I just barely remember driving there and walking into the store. I do remember that after I heard the voice, I wasn't worried or scared about anything. I walked into that store and it was as if it were just waiting for me to get inside because the hardest rain that I had ever heard fell. I vaguely remember getting my oranges and wandering the aisles until the rain stopped. It turned into an adventure because the lights went out.

I do remember being nearly ecstatic when it was all said and done ~ as if something of great importance had just happened. I also remember that when it was over, they had to sweep a lot of water out of the entryway because it had rained so hard in just a few minutes that it simply just backed up the ramp.