Well, I've seen a few hailstorms in my life, but
I believe the one on May 23rd of this year tops all of them.
The day started out sunny and bright. I hadn't
paid any attention to the forecast and just assumed that the day would stay
that way. Around 3:00, Neil informed me that there was a nasty storm
projected to hit our area in about an hour, just the time I would be driving
home. Still, I was not overly concerned. I've seen a few storms in my
lifetime and honestly, I rather enjoy a lightening and thunder display.
As I started for home, the sky was darkening and
I could see threatening clouds forming. I hoped to make it home before the
storm hit. I had some papers to drop off at the house of a family from
church but that would only take me a few extra minutes. Just
as I turned into their driveway, it started pouring. I sat in my car outside
their house, hoping that it would let up a little so I could quickly run in. As
I waited, Justin (their 10 year old son) dashed out of the house and I gladly
put down my window and handed the papers over to him. About halfway out
their long driveway, I heard pelting against the car, like sleet. Neil had said
something about hail so I figured there must be a little bit mixed in with the
rain. I thought to myself, "I guess this is going to be quite a
storm." I started cautiously down River Road and suddenly,
"WHAM!!" The car was being pummeled with huge balls of hail!
They hit the windshield with such force that I was certain it would shatter. I
suddenly wondered if I would survive. I could hardly see anything and I should
have pulled off to the side of the road and waited it out, but I stubbornly kept on
driving. The trees bent in the violent wind and leaves and branches hit my car
along with the unrelenting hail. At this point, I was pretty sure I wasn't
going to survive. I expected any second that either a tree would fall on me and
the car, or the hail would come through the car roof or windshield and kill me.
Believe me, I was praying as I inched along!
It seems like an eternity when you are enduring a
frightening experience, but gradually I drove out of the woods and I no longer
had to worry about a tree collapsing on me. The hail was still violently coming
down, but the car stayed intact. I breathed a huge sigh of relief as I pulled
into our driveway and shut the car off and sprinted into the house. Within minutes,
the storm was over.
The amazing thing was, when I examined my car
there was not a dent or scratch on it! I could not believe it. The car must be
made of tough metal! I tried to tell my husband and daughter how frightened I was and
how big the hail was and I could tell they didn't really believe me. However,
the family whose house I stopped at had grabbed a camera and took some pictures so I have proof that what
I went through was real. In the above picture, Justin is displaying some of the
chunks in his hand. Here is a picture of a pile that gathered alongside their
barn.
"when the storm howls above me,
and there's no hiding place;
'Mid the crash of the thunder (hail),
Precious Lord, hear my cry;
Keep me safe 'til the storm passes
by."
Mary Lehman
Secretary
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