A Trip to Moore, Oklahoma

I received an e-mail this morning from my oldest sister, Holly.  She recently took a trip to Moore, Oklahoma with the school she has taught at for the last nine years to lend her aid in the relief efforts from the devastation brought on by a tornado on May 20, 2013. 

Reading this e-mail brought tears to my eyes.  I can't begin to tell you how proud I am to have Holly not only as my sister, but as a friend.  She has faced so many challenges throughout her life, and has overcome more obstacles than most people I know; and all without batting an eye.  When she was born, the doctors told my mom that she would probably never walk.  Well, she did learn to walk; however that was only the beginning.  Throughout her life, she has been faced with people who have told her she couldn't do many of the things we take for granted every day.  She has proved them wrong, and continued to surprise herself, our family, friends, and many others.  One thing is for sure...never, ever count her out on anything.  She is one of the strongest people I have ever met; and despite the challenges she has faced, her focus has always been on helping others and the communities around her.  I hope you enjoy this e-mail as much as I did...she writes with such a unique perspective that is humbling, heartwarming, and can only leave you with a smile...

Hello everyone, 

I just got back from Moore, OK about an hour ago.  As you know, the school district's band director organized a relief team to Moore, OK to help with cleanup.  We went to house sites and removed debris and moved it to the curb.  All debris had to be moved to the curb for the city to pick it up, and many residents could not afford to hire someone to do it.  That's where we (and other relief teams) came in.  There were 3 bobcats, and we also had a truck on Sunday that we loaded to take debris to the curb.  I have to admit, I was amazed at watching what the bobcats could do.  Currently, I can't even really describe what that was like.   You hear about these things on the news, but pictures and media don't give you a true picture of what it's like.  When I found some items, such as dolls, silverware and other items, it really hits you that this is someone's home.  It was really overwhelming at first, and still is to some degree.  But at the end of the day, our leader reminded us that although this is overwhelming, we made it better by the work we did. 

We went past the hospital (it's right off of I-44) and visited the school as well.  There was a memorial of bears, cards, scriptures, and other inspirational sayings.  There were also crosses for each of the children that lost their lives at that school.  It was sad but beautiful at the same time.  We also drove around the outskirts of Moore, OK and could tell exactly where the tornado went in.  It was on the ground for 17 miles and over one mile wide.  Incredible.  But knowing that we did work that the residents could not afford to have done is a good feeling, and it's always good to be a part of something bigger than yourself. 

It was great being around others doing the same thing.  Everyone was so nice.  To do this kind of work, you really have to have a heart for helping other people, so being around others with that same heart was really great.  There were also a lot of people that donated food to us.  Some of it was taken down with the team; other places (such as other churches in OK) set up places to serve food to relief teams in Moore, OK.  What a blessing!  It goes to show that there are lots of ways to help in the midst of a tragedy. 

On Sunday evening, we went to the Oklahoma City memorial where the OK bombing took place in 1995.  I did not know they made such a big memorial, but it was beautiful.  There were 2 bridges.  One had the time of 9:01 and the other had the time of 9:03.  The bombing took place at 9:02.  In between them was a flow of water.  Also, there were was one chair for each person that was in one of the buildings that was bombed.  In the evening, the chairs glowed.  There were lots of trees and birds everywhere.  There was a museum inside as well, but it wasn't open when we got there.  What a great way to remember the lives that were lost there. 

On a lighter note, this was the first time that I had traveled on the Kansas Turnpike.  Before this trip, I thought traveling through Nebraska was boring, but now, I think Nebraska is beautiful!!  That Turnpike is as flat as a pancake.  Lots of cows, lots of wheat, not much else.  AND VERY FLAT!  I love Nebraska!!   Today, we also stopped at Topeka, KS and went to a drive-in place.  They had great burgers! 

There is so much more I can say about this experience, but I will wrap up this way.  It always seems like when something tragic happens, you tend to feel like there's nothing you can do. Even while helping at the sites, I felt inadequate at times because there were some physical activities that I could not do.  But what I realized is that it's not so much what you do or how much you do that matters; it's that you give what you are able to give and that you have a heart for helping others. As I stated above, there are lots of ways to help people.   If all of us gives what we are able to give, we can make things better. 

It was a great trip that I'm glad I took and will always remember.  Let's keep the city of Moore, OK in our thoughts and prayers. 

Love to all,

Holly