Tom's spirit was caught..

She stood silently crying at the Amish casket that held her beloved. Her "boss man", as

she lovingly called him. The tears were marked with such sadness but she leaned in close

as Cooper went to hug her and she looked at him and said,

"Coop, we will see him again"

 The older ones holding on to the little ones.

 A family who has lost everything and in the midst they cling 

to the one thing their earthly father passed down that the tornado couldn't take away.

A heavenly Fathers love. 

 A heavenly Fathers purpose for such a time as this.

An earthly Fathers spirit.

Their father taught them how to stand.

They knew what he would expect and they did not fail

to show each and everyone of the thousand people there

that they caught their fathers spirit.

His finger prints are deeply embedded in each of his children..

the gentleness that marked Tom Lee

is also the gentleness that marks this Lee Family.

His wife, Sherry who lovingly rubs Judsons hair over

and over as he pulls at her skirt and she gently pulls

 him closer to her, looking over at Tom just to make sure

she's not dreaming. Just to make sure this is all "real"

Her gentleness still intact, but her heart still clinging

to the unbelief of it all. 

Friends and family pour into a service.

At least a thousand come to say good-bye.

One of our dear friends, Jeff Brodock,

was recognized at church by the whole

church body for his dedication to getting to our friends

the night the tornado happened. To say he is a hard worker

under stressful times would be an injustice of words.

It took three hours for Jeff to make a path to get to the Lees

but when he knew they were trapped, he would not stop.

( he would do no less for your family)

He got help to this family.

Thank you, Jeff for always being

the first on the scene and for always loving "our children"

and for all the times you've helped our family.

  

 My dear friends and I all together at last since the tornado.

Kelly and her family lost their house but the Lord spared

every one of their 9 children. The Lord blessed them beyond words.

They are truly an example of holding open hands and saying,

"it's all yours Lord"...

Kathy is Jeff's wife and she should be a firefighter as well because

she was one of the first women on the scene. She drove into a disaster area

because our friends were there and she ended up at the Lee's house as well.

Emotions over take her if you bring up that night.

She recalls the kids all huddled up together in wet blankets.

Eyes staring up at her and each child standing that night
and thanking her for coming.

My church family never ceases to amaze me.

They are our family. Every man in our church

has taken off work, has helped carry the burden that each of these families

have had to walk under.
  We are not alone during our difficult times,

the Lord provides a church family to drive into the darkness.
In the words of our Elder Ted Phillips, "When I drove into that dark valley, I knew I wasn't leaving without my family"

That's just what he did the night of the tornado.

He and his sons drove into the darkness of Shoal Creek Valley

and would not come out until the next morning and piled in

his eight passenger van were the Crawford family (10 people),

and the King family (6 people).
He would not leave them there though.

The oldest son of Tom Lee 

Jordan Lee stood in front of the thousands of people
and said,

"The Lords gives and the Lord takes away..

Blessed be the name of the Lord."
"We do not ask why God took our Father we just Thank God
that He gave us a Godly Father for as long as He did."

While on a campout with the Lee's, I noticed him

sitting there. Looking into the fire. I noticed his boots.

Wet from the dew, a little worn but a "good worn."

A comfortable worn.

That was Tom Lee.