Family Comes Together For Support After Deadly Tornado Outbreak
Follow CBSDFW.COM: Facebook | Twitter
GARLAND (CBSDFW.COM) - A family torn by tragedy has found strength in themselves one year after an EF-4 tornado tore through Garland the day after Christmas.
Danilah Crain, 7, and her sister Kirsten Williams, 12, never thought they would be living with their aunt and uncle.
"Every time I wake up I think it's a dream and that she's really here. We just never woke up out of the dream," said Danilah Crain.
The two girls lost their mother, Kimberly Tippett, and baby brother Kamryn in the tornado.
"We know we're all we have left, so we try to be better than we used to be," said Kirsten Williams.
One year ago their aunt and uncle, Natasha and Kenneth Briggs, were taking care of the two girls. Now, they are all one big family.
"Every time I see them, I see my sister," said Natasha Briggs.
The Briggs said while the girls are a reminder of what was lost that December day in '15, they are also an example of how to live.
"The way that she (Kimberly Tippett) went out, would have literally had me questioning my faith," said Natasha Briggs. "But I know that by the girls coming in, it allowed me to take my eyes off of what had actually happened."
Natasha and Kenneth said they keep pictures up of Kimberly and Kamryn and talk about them every day. But they know sometimes it is not enough for the girls.
"You can't replace the life of a mother or a little brother," said Kenneth Briggs.
What they do is celebrate Kimberly and Kamryn.
Kirsten and Danilah said it is added pressure to do something great their lives knowing they are their mother's only living legacy.
"Life is so short and we have to make the most out of things so that's what we're going to do while we're still here," said Kirsten Williams.
(©2016 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
