A Hard Day

Hey, gang. I'd planned to do some kind of writing related post today after taking last week off from the blog, but the Oklahoma tornado yesterday has kind of left me in one of those 'nothing I do is important' kind of places.

Most of you know I live in Texas. But I spent most of my life in Oklahoma. Almost all of my family, and my wife's family, still live there. I'm overjoyed to report they are all safe. Some cousins lost everything they own except for their lives, but all are accounted for.

The thing about Oklahoma that you wouldn't understand unless you've spent some time there, is how close we are as a state. That's partially due to it being a smaller state population-wise, and partially due to it being a primarily rural state. (We have 2 metropolitan areas, Oklahoma City & Tulsa. Both are fairly modest as far as big cities go.) 

Closeness there isn't so much measured by proximity--get any old farmer to tell you about his "neighbors" and he'll mention some place 10 miles down the road--as it is the spirit of togetherness you share with the folks around you.

We celebrate the triumphs of our fellow Oklahomans like they were our own (most of us from there can recite all of the astronauts, famous musicians, athletes, etc. that claim Oklahoma as home like recalling our own family tree), and unfortunately, we also feel the pain of tragedy like it's our own. 

I've shed a lot of tears since last night. My Oklahoman neighbors--my "family"--have lost children, parents, grandparents, siblings, pets, homes... too much to even comprehend. All in the span of a 30 minute monster storm. 

The days ahead will be worse for them. The shock will wear off, and they'll be left to process the literal and psychological shreds their lives have become. Many will never regain what they've lost, and none will ever be the same.

But if you flip on the news, you'll see the real magic of the state going on already. My Facebook is overrun with people from the far reaches of Oklahoma already loading up semi-trailers full of supplies and donations to send to those affected. My nephew, who lives in Oklahoma City, went to the damaged area early this morning to start helping with the cleanup (he's an electrician, so he'll be a valuable volunteer, I think), and he's one of thousands that will do so. In fact, at some point they'll have to turn the general volunteers away there'll be so many.

Many of the major catastrophes to have hit Oklahoma (the Oklahoma City bombing, the May 3rd, 1999 F5 tornado--which hit almost the exact same area as yesterday's storm, etc.) and this is the way it always is. Oklahomans don't wait around for permission or incentive to help one another, they just do.

But it won't be enough. Not this time. There's just too many people impacted by this, and the losses are total for so many. There'll be people living in shelters for weeks, the only things they have left are what they wore in.  There'll be thousands of pets with lost owners that will need to be fed and taken care of until they can be reunited or adopted. There'll be scores of injured folks that need blood and time to heal--time with no income for food and the necessities. The thousands of workers required to clean something of this scale up will need water, work gloves, and more to be able to do what they need to do... the list is endless.

So I'm asking all of you, if you're able, to help in some way. Maybe it's just by sharing this post and saying a few prayers. Maybe you can text the Red Cross to donate $10 (info below the pics & video). Maybe you're part of a church group or other organization, and can instigate a drive to send goods to those impacted. Whatever you can spare or do, it will be desperately needed, and forever appreciated.  

I'm sharing some of the photos and videos I've seen in the last few hours that have impacted me the most. Below those, you'll find links with information on how you might be able to help. All of them are through locally and nationally recognized aid organizations, and I tried to provide links so you can investigate them yourself. 

Thank you in advance for any help from an Oklahoman, for all of Oklahoma.

~EJ~

Video: Woman finds her dog in the rubble of her home on live TV.

Video: Stunning footage. 



PHOTOS: Gallery of incredible destruction and survivor photos.

PHOTO: Being reported as the largest tornado on record at 2 1/4 miles wide.

PHOTO: A giant hail stone from the storm.

PHOTO: Puppy survives the storm.

YOU CAN HELP HERE

Financial

Text: REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10 (charged to your mobile bill I believe...)

or

Go to http://www.redcross.org to donate

United Way of Central Oklahoma’s Disaster Relief Fund is open.
Donations may be made online at www.unitedwayokc.org or by mail to United Way of Central Oklahoma, P.O. Box 837, Oklahoma City, OK 73101 with notation for May Tornado Relief.

Contributions to the Moore & Shawnee Tornado Relief Fund can be made securely online at www.TulsaCF.org. Donations can also be mailed to TCF offices at 7030 S. Yale, Suite 600, Tulsa, OK, 74136.

Pets

The Pet Food Pantry of OKC is offering dog food, cat food, leashes, collars, food bowls, etc to those in need. (405) 664-2858 www.petfoodpantryokc.org (Go to the website to donate funds to their efforts.)

The Lost & Found May 20 Tornado Facebook page. (They share lots of good information about who is housing pets, etc.)

The Animal Resource Center of Oklahoma is housing lost/displaced pets and accepts donations.

Goods

The Red Cross truly needs your money as much as anything (they are already housing and feeding hundreds of people this AM), but if you're someone who can organize a large scale goods drive, some of the items being requested are:

Water,
Gatorade,
energy bars,
snacks,
non-perishable food,
cat and dog food,
clothing,
blankets,
air mattresses,
toiletries,
diapers for children and adults,
formula and bottles,
toys,
peroxide, disinfectant alcohol and medical supplies.

NEW items requested are rakes, shovels, brooms, bottled water, leather gloves, sunscreen, DEET insect spray, dust masks, trash bags and lip balm. 

If you plan on doing a drive in the coming weeks, please contact the Red Cross prior to see what things they might need, as this list will likely change as more people donate and conditions continue to evolve. 

Tragedy & Hope

I took a long-ish blogging break for the month of May, but somewhat sadly the world didn't rest with me.  When I started my break the Southern U.S. was just beginning to recover from the string of violent storms that left lives ended or destroyed in multiple states, the most heavily hit being Alabama.  The stories of survival that poured out were both heartbreaking and inspiring.

Then, only a few weeks later, another massive tornado hit the modest-sized city of Joplin, MO.  They were still adding to the death toll this week, and the damage was catastrophic.  I lived in Missouri for 4 years and had visited Joplin many times while traveling back to my home state of Oklahoma.  Missouri, like Oklahoma, is a state dominated by rural living.  It's not uncommon for your nearest "neighbor" to live several miles away.  As such, when something like this happens to one town or city, it feels as though it happens to the entire state.  Everyone is your neighbor.

Only days after the Joplin storm another tornado struck, this time in my home state.  Tornados aren't infrequent things in Oklahoma.  In fact, they are kind of a fixture in the culture there.  Every town (no matter the size) has a storm siren, and they have 'tornado drills' in the schools starting in kindergarden.  No, if you grow up in Oklahoma a tornado is nothing to get excited about unless it's your house its blowing over.  The Oklahoma tornado didn't harm as many people as it hit a small town named Piedmont (yes, I know people who live there as well); however, it held perhaps the saddest story of all.

A pregnant mother huddled in her bathtub with her two young sons, trying desperately to protect them from the storms fury.  The father was out of town for work.  When the storm had passed, the mother and unborn child were injured but alive.  One of the boys was found dead immediately, but the other was missing.  After searching through wreckage and debris for two days--the father had of course returned and joined the search--they found the body of the other boy.

The thought of that family losing two of their three children in one freak storm was almost more than I could take.  You can't help but question the order of life when you hear stories like these.  It's the kind of stuff that happens to people in movies or books, but not in real life.  No real person should ever have to endure such tragedy, after all.

I sometimes feel that if we have no more control over things than that, why try at all?

Then I read the story of Bridget Zinn ...

I'm sure some will think Bridget's story in many ways is just as heart-wrenching.  A beautiful woman taken long before her time by cancer is surely nothing to celebrate.  However, after learning about her all too brief life, I do feel inspired.  I think you will too.

Here is the bio from her website:

"I'm a YA writer and fan of all things YA. The types of books I like the best are usually super funny and have a unique perspective on the world – they also tend to be a bit on the girly side although not ALWAYS. Adventure and intrigue can get me too – it's just that a touch of snogging here and there is always a bonus in my mind.

I write the sort of books I like to read: you'll find adventure, unique twists, and definitely a snog here and there. It's quite possible that there's a bit of sneakiness and mischievousness in my stories, but you'll have to read more to find out for sure. All I can tell you is that if you check out my About Me page don't be surprised to discover links to Secret Lairs, Partners In Crime, or Crazy Stunts.

My first novel, POISON, will be published by Disney/Hyperion the Summer of 2012." 

Like myself and so many of you who follow this blog, Bridget had big dreams.  Her dreams were so big, in fact, that her brain and heart couldn't hold them all so she had to write them down and share them with others.  From all the accounts I've read, Bridget was an exceedingly talented writer and a better person.  She had a real zest for life and a unique ability to transform that into words.

Bridget died May 26, 2011.

If you're an author or have author-like ambitions, you'll have immediately noticed that Bridget was not able to see her book published.  I say that because I know for most of us seeing our words in print IS the dream, and to come so close and never realize that dream would be the ultimate torment.  It is probably breaking some of your hearts right now.  I know it did mine for a time ...  

Then I read her blog.  

I'll confess and hopefully not sound too morbid, I expected to read the accounts of a dying person.  My wife is an Oncologist, and I can tell you that cancer is typically not a subtle thing.  You know it has you well before it takes you.  However, after reading only a few entries, something odd occurred to me: Bridget wasn't dying, she was living.

This was a woman who took each day as a gift, and did her damnedest to make the world her playground.  She loved reading and writing down to her bones and wanted to share that love, regardless of the poor hand she'd been dealt.  And that's when it hit me.  That's when I realized the example Bridget had set for me--for all of us.  

Would I write if I had 6 months or 6 days left?  Would I write if I knew I might never see it printed?  Do I love this enough, does it mean enough, for me to hold onto the ambition in the face unbelievable adversity?  You can really put anything in place of the 'writing' and the message is the same: Live your life with passion.  Live each moment as if it were your last, and fill your time by chasing your dreams.  If you do that, it will be a life well-spent.

I guess in the end Bridget's life gives me hope.  Hope that I can view life as being bigger than my anxieties and fears.  Hope that I CAN live in the moment and quit worrying about the future.  Hope that even when things seem the ugliest, there is still beauty to be found if we search for it.  

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."  ~ Oscar Wilde

To be clear, I didn't know Bridget, and I'm quite certain I'm the poorer for it.  Her husband, Barrett, has setup a beautiful memorial on her blog that I'd encourage you to view at the link posted above.  You can also make a donation to a memorial fund established in her honor.    

~EJW~