Joplin, Missouri is not my hometown, but it's sort of an adopted hometown because that is where my father lives, lots of cousins, where my grandparents lived before they died, and where I spent many summer vacations. My brother went to high school and college there; my sister went to college there.
I'm happy to report that all of my family is safe and well after the tornado destroyed about 30% of the city, but I know they've all lost people they've known and loved having lived there for so many years. There are many friends who are still missing.
My stepmother's Catholic church, St. Mary's, where we would go when we visited, was destroyed. Where people there for Mass at the time? I don't even know.
I'm sure we've all been listening to the jokes about the Rapture Fail this weekend, but the serious side to that is that we really don't know when our time will come. The end came for many people in Joplin on Sunday. Were they prepared because they had prepared for The Rapture? Or were they completely unprepared because they figured they wouldn't make the cut anyway?
For those who lived but have lost everything....are they okay with that? Would you (or I) be okay with that?
Where do you stand? Prepared? Unprepared? Attached or Unattached to your worldly goods?
I think I'm somewhere in the middle...gotta work on getting closer to the Prepared/Unattached side, though. It's not good to get caught in the middle.
I"m sorry for your friends and family. your numbers are much more conservative than what I've heard. some say up to 75% of the town is gone.
ReplyDeleteI have to say, we had a house fire in '97 that took dang near everything. And since then I'm much less attached to STUFF. Things are things, I like them, they're pretty and fun....but they're still just things. Lesson learnt the hard way. Hold your people tight and love them often. Another blog friend of mine lost a niece in the Alabama tornados.
I've always hated tornados...and here lately I'm seriously considering pulling into the 'fraidy hole store that I pass everyday.....
('fraidy hole is my Great Aunt's name for her storm cellar)
God Bless sweet friend.
I've heard the 75% number, but I think that was an early estimate by someone in shock standing in the middle of it. My sister says, and I believe from looking at the map, that it's closer to 30%. But if it's your 30%, it's your whole world, isn't it?
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