On Canada Day this year, we had a visitor in the form of the Grim Reaper.

Like most summer days here in Didsbury, Alberta, we start off with a gloriously beautiful morning. The sun shines, and the temperature rises. Personally, the ideal temperature for me is around that 23-degree mark; however, more commonly, the heat soars to the mid or high twenties and sometimes into the thirties. By the late afternoon or early evening, the clouds roll in, and I want to say it’s seldom that this isn’t the case.

On July 1st this year, the day began as I described above, but the skies quickly changed to dark and ominous. The events that unfolded still have me shaken to the core.

I stood on my porch steps, watching what I’ve now called the Grim Reaper come out of the sky. The swirling grey clouds eventually turned into something like boney fingers trying desperately to reach down toward us. It threw Golf ball-sized hail at us. Ultimately those boney-like fingers took hold, reaching the ground. Whisps of black sprang into the sky, and I wondered if it might be smoke. In actuality, it was dirt. The monster now clawed its way over the ground.

At this point in time, we realized heading to the basement might be the best idea. Scrambling, I found the cats and put them downstairs first. They’d be hard to find, scared, and I wanted them as safe as possible.

Not long after that, the beast stopped heading our way and went in the opposite direction. Of course, I was thankful, but my heart hurt wondering about everyone else living not far from us.

I know this story doesn’t have a bunch to do with romance, but I did write a book about a Storm God who took the form of many types of weather. The book is called My Protector and was originally called Impossible to Hold. The fictional romance story doesn’t portray the Grim Reaper, monster, or beast that I truly know comes with these storms.

The homes and lives destroyed are not comprehendible. Mass devastation is the only thing left in its wake. There is no rhyme or reason as to where it will hit and what it will obliterate in its wake. My heart hurts for everyone who was caught in its path and who now have nothing left.

Perhaps writing this blog is a form of therapy for me. I have many nightmares about tornados; sadly, I know there will be more to follow. I find myself looking up at the sky differently. I’m thankful we have emergency alerts.

Mercifully nobody was seriously injured. Perhaps I will write a book that truly reflects what I think of tornados. Maybe something like Twister—after all, there is some romance in that story. Stay safe, everyone, and remember, along with the hot weather in Alberta also comes the potential for monsters in the sky.