[kelsiana]

Hello everyone. Just thought I'd share a WARM HELLO, as I know it has been a harsh winter all round. For those of us with power and the comforts of home, may we graciously share a thought for those less fortunate at this time.

From Taranaki myself, I live in a small town, Manaia, and we were very lucky to escape the tornados which recently struck our province. The weather has been windy, cold and wet, but we count our blessings. For areas of Taranaki that were less fortunate, the blessings came through the tremendous community support that proved as mighty as the tornados that struck. The news of floods up North, minus degrees temperatures in the South, and generally shitty weather throughout New Zealand, doesn't exactly place us in the place to be in the world. But I think we are still lucky, because at times like this, the spirit of our country comes to life.

I hope you are all well, warm and safe. Last Thursday night was perhaps one of the most frightening nights for my family. We had 8 children and 3 adults in our house, and spent the night huddled in my daughter's room fearing the worst, as we shared a prayer. The winds had calmed, but we decided to stay in the room just in case. We simply are not used to weather like that, and we were barely prepared for it. But now we know what could happen, we are more aware of what we will need to do, should a tornado strike again. So if you haven't started getting your survival kit ready - I strongly suggest you start. You never know when you are going to need to use it.

God Bless you all - keep warm, keep smiling and keep sharing the warm Hellos. CHEERS