It's been a long week for our state. The devastation goes for miles and miles. Homes reduced to rubble in minutes. Lives lost in the blink of an eye. And if you aren't sitting in the middle of it, you pray for the lives being effected at the very moment of impact. It's easy to feel helpless. It seems so distant from where you stand at that very moment, but so close, because with that much damage and destruction, it's inevitable that you are going to know someone directly or indirectly that has been effected by the damage. It's hard to not weep and be emotional in general, just because you know life is precious, and when any life is lost, it should bring emotion in you.
Sunday was bad enough. Shawnee is place near and dear to me. I used to work there, and drove through Meeker every day to go to and from work. I can see the little places. And then came Monday. And I think every American has seen Monday. Over & Over & Over.
So, as a life long Oklahoman, here are some things that I have learned over the past four days.
1)
The Church is still the cornerstone of the community. Time after time, when I see locations for help, or a place to drop off donations, or a public plea for nurses and medical personnel that the Red Cross is turning away, it's from the churches. It's God's people who are making sandwiches for two days straight, because it's a service to their fellow man, and it's not beneath them. They are grateful to serve in the back of the kitchen where no one but God can see. And they do it with a smile. It's those same people that once they realize and see the need, they attack it, because that's who they are. There are communities that were devastated on Sunday, but because it was not on the level of Moore, they are getting little to no help. I hope that I can help get the word out, and physically go help if needed. Luther, Carney, Little Ax, Dale & Bethel Acres-
You are not forgotten!
2)
Oklahomans do not want to just write a check and walk away. I think that we are generous in nature. When we see the need, we would give a stranger the last five dollars out of our pockets to help someone, and the amount of monetary donations show just that. Not just with Oklahomans, but nation wide in general. But we also have seen time and again, that
sometimes often the generosity of Americans is taken advantage of by huge, bloated bureaucratic organizations. So instead of the expectation that we trust you to take the money we work hard for and do with it what you (said organization) think is best, is presumptuous. Instead, we want to work hard and see the results of that work and donation of ourselves to others and to the cause.
3)
Oklahomans rally like no other. It's not all about me around here. Its about what we can do to help our fellow communities. People want to help. They want to clean up. They want to rebuild. Not just because it's what is expected, but because it shows our strength as a state, and as a people. No matter how many times a tornado takes away a home (or a mad man blows up a building), we support and rebuild, stronger than ever.
4)
We are still a God fearing state. This might offend some, but I am not sure at this moment I am going to be very politically correct. As a whole, I see people praying more and more. I hear stories about teachers saying, "I prayed, out loud. I wasn't supposed to, but I prayed." That shows me that we still, as a state, know where our strength and our comfort comes from.
5)
No matter how hard you try, there is just some devastation you cannot be prepared for. They don't call an F5 The Finger of God for nothing. You can't run from it. You can't hide from it. and all the preparations in the world could be gone in the blink of an eye, and wind up 50 miles away. All you might be left with is the knowledge in your head. What will you be able to do with that?
And finally...
6)
There is no place like home. If I ever have to weather a natural disaster, I would rather do it here, in Oklahoma, with these amazing people and these amazing communities of resilient people, than I would anywhere else.
This is my favorite fundraising shirt so far, because it's not just about Moore, it's about all the communities that have been devastated this week. You can click on the link to take you to the sight to purchase this shirt.
