Letter from the man

One of the gifts that Henry received from his Godmother Shelley is a special letter from a special man.  Henry was born the week of the bad tornados in April.  He was less than 36 hours old when we hid in the halls of St. Vincent's during all the tornado warnings of the day.  Most people know that I have a slight obsession with the weather and have been a James Spann fan since I was in elementary school.  James has been OUR weather man since I was little and no weather outbreak is complete without watching him on ABC as he guides us to safety.  Shelley knows and shares my obsession and wrote James when we asked her to be Henry's godmother.  Below is the letter from Shelley to James and the response from James to Henry.  Such a sweet gesture.  We love you James and Shelley!

James,

This is a rather strange request but would mean the world to family friends of mine.  My Godson was born at St. Vincents on April 25, 2011.  The little guy (Henry) sure knew how to make an entrance.  My dear friend Julie Smith (Henry's Mom) follows your forecasts and your blog closely.  She is a dentist but I am pretty sure she was meant to be a meteorologist.  She uses meteorology terms such as hook echo when speaking about weather events.  Her husband, Lance Smith, and I laugh that it was a good thing she was on morphine when the tornado went through because otherwise, I think she would have had a panic attack.
The day of the tornadoes the Smiths sat at St. Vincents, and Henry was less than 36 hours old. I stayed on the phone with them while they were in the hallway and the storm was approaching.  I literally paced back and forth.  They were kept safely in an interior roomwithout being able to see out the windows or a tv. I am SO thankful for their safety.  I know many were not as lucky.
 I have the honor of being the Godmother and want to do something special for them (and Henry) for his Baptism.  They were never able to see the live video coverage because they were in the hallways so I have your newscast (which I DVRd) put on a DVD for Henry and his parents.  I know it would mean a lot if you could write a note or message I can include with the gift.  However is easiest for you....you can respond by email or mail.  My address is below.  Henry Smith is the baby and Lance and Julie Smith are the parents.  Being a proud Godparent, I have included a picture. :)
Thank you for your time and even reading this.  I know you are a busy man.  Know there are many of us out there who are grateful for what you do!
                                                            Shelley

Hi Henry....
There is a good chance you won't know me when you read this, but I was a TV meteorologist in Birmingham when you were born in 2011. I wanted you to know that you came into the world two days before the greatest tornado outbreak in Alabama's history. We call it a generational tornado event because for most of us it will only happen once in our lifetime. In one day, April 27, 2011, we had 63 tornadoes that did lots of damage and caused many heartaches in Alabama. You will be able to tell your children, and your grandchildren you were alive on that day, and they probably won't believe you.
God was watching over you and your family when you were less than two days old and still in the hospital. A very violent tornado was within 15 miles of the hospital, but there was no damage where you were, and your family was safe. Some were called home to heaven that day, but you were left here. So, that means God will do great things through you. You will have special gifts and can do things nobody else can do. Just honor God in everything you do and you will have a great life.
God Bless!

___________________________________
James Spann, CBM
ABC 33/40