On Life and Words

Well, it's been a year since our world was turned upside down and life as we knew it ended. I can think of nothing in my life that has affected me or my family as drastically as the May 20th, 2013 tornado in Moore, Oklahoma. In a single instant, due to circumstances beyond our control and a natural disaster, our way of living was destroyed and our city was destroyed. The outpouring of love, support and emergency efforts from not just our home state, but our country and even the world was amazing. It was awesome to see that there were so many people out there who cared about us and others who lost their homes and way of life. Those emergency support efforts were very much appreciated, not just by us, but by everyone affected by the tornado. While my children and I didn't lose our home specifically, we lost almost everything inside, our vehicle was ruined, and the kids' school was demolished. My children lost classmates and friends, which has proven to be devastating. Du...

On May 20th, 2013, our lives were changed forever as a tornado ripped through our town and devastated our homes, our families and our schools. Many of us lost almost everything, some of us lost everything, some lost loved ones. There were many who stepped in and brought us hope in wake of the devastation in our lives. The donations of clothing, were put to very good use. The donations of gift cards helped us to get the things we needed to replace and enabled us to put whatever cash we had towards the things we needed in the immediate. All of us send out a heartfelt thank-you. Not simply for the donations of clothing, gift cards or other "things," but also for the hope that was sent with it. In the midst of a disaster, it can be extremely difficult to know which direction to turn, what step to take next or how to cope. Simply knowing that there were people who cared about us and were willing to put forth their time, effort and money to help total strangers brought...

Yesterday, my children and I attended a function for their school that they had attended before the May 20th tornado. The school is no longer there and they are in the process of rebuilding it. A large local church hosted both schools that were demolished for this event. The children were all given a free copy of their school yearbook, new packages of school portraits, a handmade quilt or blanket and a teddy bear. You see, those who brought this event about, realized the importance of closure and of trying to maintain a sense of normalcy in the wake of a disaster. The children were elated to see some of their friends again and to see their teachers, principal and other faculty members from their school. For all of us, this event brought a sense of healing and a bit of closure to the day when our lives changed forever. There was laughter, relief, tears of joy, tears of pain for those lost and of course, the overwhelming sense of thankfulness that we were all able to attend this e...