So much craziness in life lately it seems. If it's not one thing, it's another.
Oklahoma has been battered and beaten lately, in the weather department. Lawton, thank goodness, has been spared for quite a few years. The OKC metro area, has just been tortured. On May 20th, an F5 tornado, went on a 17 mile quest, and 24 people lost their lives. 7 of those were children, who were at school, when the tornado hit. I was watching closely online, when the rotation began. As it descended from sky, I called my brother David who was in Oklahoma City. Normally, he doesn't ever answer his phone. As it rang, I willed him to answer. He answered, and I asked where he was. "Moore jobsite" he replied. I told him he needed to leave and take shelter, a tornado was headed his way. He reminded me, that we had built a safe room on this project. I told him to get in it. Then we hung up. I watched as this small tornado grew larger and larger, until I was crying while sitting at my desk. It was huge, and I knew it was going to cause a lot of damage. I didn't think, even being in the safe room, was going to be enough. I started looking online, mapping where the jobsite was, to where the tornado was tracking. I estimated him to be about 8 miles away, so I breathed easier. I was sending him texts and anxiously awaiting a response. He finally called me, a few hours later. I had been wrong about the distance. He was only a matter of blocks from the tornado. When I called him, he was about to head to the store. He had no idea about the tornado. In all, there were 17 people who piled into the safe room. I'm so thankful, they were spared the chance to test the full strength of the tornado, and just how strong the safe room was.
The following week, a group of us, from the local Crossfit gym, traveled to do a Workout/Fundraiser. Afterwards, some of us went, to offer help in clean up. TV and movies, does not quite prepare you, for the actual devastation you see. I was struck, by how quiet everything was. We all grabbed supplies, and took off to help. I had brought along some plastic containers with lids. I came upon a family, and there was an older gentlemen loading up a truck. I asked him, if he could use some. He replied "yes, I could use some, what do you want for them?". That question, completely brought my heart to a stop. I felt sad and a certain kind of loneliness creep in. What have we, as neighbors and people, done to our fellow humans, that the assumption I want something in return, was the first thing he asked? I handed those off, and told him I would grab more, and I'd be right back to help. I started crying while walking back to the truck. At that moment, the only thing that mattered, was helping. All day, I worked with Bob, his daughter Kelly and son Jason, their extended family and friends, as we sorted through the piles of debris, that was once their lives. Bob had lived at this location for 37 years. He had raised his kids and buried his wife, 16 years ago, from breast cancer, all while living there. That night, I arrived home around 8, walked in grabbed my dog and looked around at my house. It's small, falling apart, but there was no place I'd rather be. The comfort my house provides, is something these people would not have for a long time. I showered, and crawled into bed. When I woke up, I knew I had to go back. So, back to the store, grabbed more supplies and hit the road. It took a little while to find the house again, but I arrived back and said hello to the family. When Bob showed up about an hour later, he came over and gave me a big hug and a smile. Throughout the day, this family showed me, what it means to smile and joke, even when the world around you seems dark. They were a funny group, and I've thought about them every day since. I know, I'll see them again soon.
