Tragedy in the Midwest

This last week has brought a great tragedy by way of devastating tornadoes to the midwest.  So close to home, Jopin, MO was hit last Sunday, and the town of 50,000 has literally been obliterated.  The death toll was at 123 last count, and they are still doing search and *rescue*.  Schools, homes, businesses and the hospital have all but been wiped out.

 My heart was hurting and I was crying while on the elliptical the other night watching ads across the TV screen asking "Have you seen this person?" with  phone number and brief description of a family's loved one's last known place on Sunday-and whom they have yet to find.  A 16mo old child ripped from his Mother's arms,  a husband and his two children at the Home Depot, a high schooler playing basketball with a friend.  I cannot watch the television anymore. 

Then today, the sirens sounded at our house, funnel clouds spotted all over the KC metro area.  My kids spent an hour huddled under their art class tables, or in a hallway.  I, watching the TV and texting reports to my sister and her son stuck in a building at the zoo while on a field trip,  to my step-mom stuck in a stairwell at work, both listening to the sirens all around them, and not knowing what was going on.  After what had recently happened in Joplin, everyone was anxious and scared that we would be next.  Those of you who don't live where tornadoes occur, drills are done as early as pre-school age here, most all of us have homes with concrete basements and little tornado boxes packed and down there ready for us with water, tennis shoes, a flashlight and weather radio-of course ours has a TON more, but to each their own.   But being prepared, does not make it any less scary. 
Though today's storms not nearly as bad as what tore through Joplin on Sunday, a small town near us-Sedalia, MO, was hit by one-no loss of life-but again, loss to homes, businesses and schools. 

The response to Joplin by friends and family members to help has been amazing-my sister Kate, an EMT with KCFD loaded a bus Monday evening headed there to lend a hand-along with 5 additional ambulance crews and numerous engine companies.  One of KCPD's Tactical Teams and a Traffic Enforcement team have been there all week-the reports coming back from a friend, and a wife of one of the Traffic guys, is just gut-wrenching.  A dear friends husband is packed to leave with his Tactical Team tomorrow and is humbled at the thought of being sent to help these people and though is leaving his family-hopes to help provide some comfort to those in need-in his words, he "only wished he could have gone sooner".  Andrea is proud of you Troy-and I to be your friend!  An officer who works for Brian called us Sunday night, and was already headed down to lend a helping hand-something Todd is known for!  And I've only named a few of the people I know who are down there helping this town dig out and find family members and hopefully in all that ruble-maybe a miracle survivor. 

Please keep the town of Joplin, Missouri and it's residents, in your thoughts and prayers in the coming months as they try to come to terms with the tragedy Mother Nature bestowed upon them this sad day in May.  Please pray for their peace, and their survival will to rebuild and move forward.  Please keep those sent to help in your thoughts as they perform the daunting task of trying to find survivors, though know they will most likely be giving families the much needed closure of losing a loved one.  Please donate blood over the summer to help replenish the amount our local banks have sent down to Joplin. 

And most of all-tell those that you care for how much you love them, how much they mean to you, and how you would be lost without them. 

For we are never promised tomorrow.

We only have today.

Make it count.