A Grim Look of Determination.

It's really heart wrenching. Over and over and over. We go home, life is normal. We do laundry, take a swim, check email, cut the grass. Life is normal. You forget for a little while, start to relax, smile, make a joke.

But then you have to run an errand so you get in the car. A few blocks away you turn the corner into the cliched war zone. Your heart sinks. Everything comes back in a rush.

Everywhere you look is devastation, people's lives, their sanctuary, their private refuge open like doll houses where every passerby can peer in to see what once was the interior of their home. And those are just the houses on the perimeter with walls that are still standing. It is breath taking. Even if you are just bisecting the damage zone on your way from the north to the south of town you can't help but cringe at the piles of rubble.

I long for the day when I can arrive at work without a knot in my stomach and my throat burning as I fight the urge to sob. It isn't my place to sob. My home still stands. My vehicle was safely tucked in it's garage stall. I still have a workplace. I am one of the fortunate.

But I greatly admire those in the heart of Joplin who have risen from the rubble and began salvaging what they could recover and are moving forward with a grim look of determination. It is the look that has been on nearly every face for the past three weeks. Three weeks? Has it been that long already?

May 22, 2011 was a pivotal day for this community. We will never be the same. But I see the determination in the faces of my friends and neighbors to trudge forward and make this an even better place than it was before dinner time on that fateful Sunday.

I'm proud of our community. I'm grateful for all of the wonderful people from other communities who rushed to our aid in our time of need. I'm astounded by the outpouring of help, both physical and monetary. My faith in humankind is somewhat restored.

As we grimly pick up the pieces and move ahead I hope we can maintain the overwhelming sense of love and community that has been flowing like a ribbon from one heart to the next since this disaster. I hope we all will retain the feeling of what is important; life, love, community.

A time will come when we will mention recent catastrophic events; The Oklahoma City Bombing, The World Trade Center Bombing (9/11), Hurricane Katrina, The Joplin Tornado. We will all always remember what we were doing when these events occurred. For some it will shape the remainder of their lives. It was a pivotal event. Even MY perceptions have changed. And long after tears are replaced by smiles I will never forget that grim look of determination.


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