Thankful

Wow...what a past few month it has been.  The 22nd of this month marked the 6 month anniversary of the May 22nd tornado that devastated our home town.  Since then...a few major businesses have rebuilt.  Some have decided to jump ship and head to different ground (i.e. other towns).  Some homes have started to be rebuilt while others are still standing in the same destroyed condition as they were 6 months ago.  The marks and scars of the tornado are everywhere.

We were lucky.  We have a new roof and some new exterior paint, but our house was still standing when the twister moved on and for that I am very thankful.

Fast forward to September.  We were getting excited to be heading to Walt Disney World to celebrate my parent's 50th wedding anniversary.  As the 1-week mark approached in our countdown, we were confronted with the news that my father-in-law needed emergency quintuple bypass surgery.  His age and health also presented post-op complications and his condition was touch and go for about 3 days.  Our Disney trip then became iffy.  But I am thankful to report that he dramatically improved on day 4 and we were able to go on the trip.

As we took off at the Branson Airport and started heading down to Orlando, we were flying through severe storms that had built up around the area and, for the first time in my life, our plane suffered a direct lightning strike.  I am thankful to report the plane was unharmed and we made it to our destination.

Now again fast forward to November.  I found out on a Sunday morning that my aunt was not going to recover from complications associated with Lupus and she would be taken on life support that morning.  I am thankful that my dad was able to fly out to California at the last minute to spend a few moments with his sister before she passed away.

Then...the following Sunday, I was awaken by a phone call that let me know that my 93 year old grandmother had passed away.  So some quick packing took place so we could make the trip out to California in order to attend her funeral.  I am thankful for the life she lived and the example she showed for me to follow.

So needless to say I am thankful that November and frankly 2011 is almost over.  I am hoping the Mayans were somewhat correct and the planet is about to get a do-over in 2012 because I am ready for one.

I think I need to blog more...

Coping...

Coping...that is the word you will hear a lot right now as you drive through our town here in Joplin MO and talk to people.  Other words used these days around here; thankful, devastated, depressed, lost, hopeless, alone, lucky, guilty.  If you stop and ask any resident of Joplin how they are doing these days, I almost promise you that someone will use one of those words in their sentence as they try to explain the multitude of emotions that are flooding their soul right now.

As is the case after any tragedy, disaster or loss, friends and loved ones are there to help in the first week or 2 after a death or accident.  The person mourning or coping takes great comfort from those who visit or call or send a card to show they are thinking and praying for them in this very trying time.  But what we all fail to see sometimes is that the darkest of days and the deepest of needs comes in weeks 3, 4, 5 and in months 3 and 4 and 5 and 6 after some sad event in a person's life.  Those are most often the days when someone needs comfort the most and most likely that is when a person in need finds themselves all alone.

That is my fear for my fellow neighbors here in Joplin who are still reeling from the May 22nd tornado. A story was published on July 11 about 3 suicide deaths now being linked to depression that some victims were suffering with after the tornado.  You can read that article here.  People have lost their homes, they have lost their jobs and, in some cases, both.  Some families had to attend funerals with multiple caskets and then go back to shelters where their belongings are stored near them in totes or plastic bags.  More articles are being written warning everyone that some may not have yet reached the low point of their emotions and some darker days are potentially ahead for the victims and their families.

These past few weeks have been so very tough on so many.  I even have to admit that it has put my usually cheery self into a funk that has been hard to shake.  Our town was in essence cut in half which means it is hard to get from point A to point B without seeing the place where your favorite restaurant used to be or seeing someone's home still standing in the form of one wall with the words "we are ok" spray painted on it.  We now get mail from desperate pet owners still searching for their pets that were lost in the storm.  The sights and the smells are still everywhere.

So many folks in our town need support now more than ever.  They are entering and the darkest and loneliest of days now that the media has moved on and so has many of the volunteers who we are so very thankful for.

So I write this as a way of hopefully showing that Joplin still needs your prayers.  The victims still need help and comfort.  And maybe this is showing me that I need to be more available to friends and loved ones in the weeks AFTER a funeral or hospital stay and not just in the days before or during.  So say a little prayer today for those in Joplin.