If Sharon Watson hadn’t followed the strange blue light to her
As Fox News reports, originally from Ohio, Watson moved to Wetumpka, Alabama 11 years ago to be closer to her daughter and enjoy the milder winters. But on January 19, she experienced weather that was anything but mild — a tornado ripped through the town and hit the Watson home.
Sharon was at home that Saturday, watching television and snuggling her pets. Her first warning came when the siren went off and her husband, Jim, called to check on her. Then a utility pole outside her house fell over. Sharon told the Wetumpka Herald:
“When the power went out, I saw a blue light in my bedroom. I went in to see what it was. Jim was still on the phone, asking if I was OK. I said, ‘Something’s happening,’ and I saw things flying by the window.”
The storm intensified and Sharon took refuge on the bedroom floor as the windows shattered. She told the Herald, “I laid down on the floor next to the bed and didn’t know if I would live. I felt glass hitting me. It was like knives being thrown at me.”
Our home sweet home. ? unbelievable made it thru this.
Sharon’s last thoughts before she lost consciousness were about her Wizard of Oz figurines in the other room. Would they survive the storm? Would she? She told the Herald, “I could feel the house and the floor moving and I wondered if I would land in some other place.”
The tornado tore the roof off of Sharon’s home and destroyed most of the houses on her block. When it was over, she couldn’t believe she was still alive. She told the Herald she believes someone was looking out for her and led her to the right place to survive the tornado:
“I know this — my dad is an angel and he led me into the bedroom. I saw that blue light. There was no electricity. How do you explain that? I know if I had stayed in that living room, I wouldn’t be telling you my story right now.”
The first person Sharon saw after her ordeal was a young neighbor who came over to check on her. Despite losing so much, Sharon felt blessed to find her dogs and cat safe after the storm had passed. Even her Wizard of Oz collection had survived.
Because they don’t have insurance, Sharon and Jim were happy to recover many of their belongings after the tornado. However, they will have to move, and friends have set up a GoFundMe page to help them rebuild.
For Sharon, the tornado was an eye-opening experience. She told the Herald that after she saw a rainbow follow the storm, she knew God was watching out for her:
“I didn’t have time to pray. I’m not a religious person. I believe in a higher power. I know there’s a God now. God kept me alive. I am definitely finding a church somewhere.”
Sharon spent the following Sunday at a new church. Rather than focus on what she has lost, she has been thanking God for her blessings. Looking for ways to pay it forward, she began helping a homeless woman and put her in touch with local churches for more resources.
As Sharon told Fox News, “I know this is a way God is showing me one way to repay for all our blessings.”
bedroom, she might not be alive to tell her story.