T-town Never Down

April 27, 2011 was a day that I will never forget for as long as I live. It was a day that started out just like any other and ended in tragedy.Today is the one year anniversary of that day. The one year anniversary of the tornado that mercilessly ripped through my state. All day I've struggled with what I could possibly have to say about this. There is really just no way you can go through something like that and not relive it on that day every year, but there is also no way that I could ever effectively put what it felt like to be in it into words. I could tell you exactly what I was doing as the tornado approached. I could tell you about the fear that exploded in my heart when we heard on the news that the mile-wide tornado was heading for campus or the relief that almost brought me to tears when it made a turn away from us. For a long time afterwards, I avoided the destroyed parts of town, most notably of those was the intersection of McFarland and 15th St. When I was finally able to bring myself to drive there, I was reduced to tears, and for months after, I had the same reaction. In the end though, I'm just one person. My story is one swimming in a sea of so many more. There are stories of lost homes and loved ones. Of decimated businesses and towns. The evidence of the destruction can still be seen all over Alabama and the rebuilding process is still going on. Through all of this, though, we've remained strong. As a community, we came together to help those who lost everything they had and so much more. We rose from the rubble of our city to victory when we won another national championship within a year after the tornado. We stood together through it all and continue to do so today as we watch businesses being restored and new homes being rebuilt. T-town is never down, and that's a statement we've more than proved in this last year.