red cross

I never thought I would have to make this kind of a decision. The kind of decision in which if this was it, what could we take with us. I took deep breaths while listening to the news in the background as they shared stories and photographs of Joplin and more so letting Kansas City know that tornadoes could be possible that evening. And, while I wish I could admit that I am a tough gal who can handle tornado warnings, I will come out and say that natural disasters are my biggest fear in life. Bigger than spiders which should say something! So, as I stood in our home, I started to gather everything essential I thought we could need. I knew Bryan would make a joke when he walked through the door and saw me doing this, but at this point, I didn't care. As the next hour passed, I gathered food, clothes, towels, our wedding album, all of our documents, necessities, important sentiments of ours, Bryan's letter he wrote to me on our wedding day and a few other items in our suitcase. I was prepared for us to run with the suitcase to the storage room if we heard the sirens. I think I bought the word "planner" to a whole other level. But, then I think of the people in Joplin. The people who lost everything. And, tears form quickly and my heart and prayers go out to each and every one of them. I realized, life should never be taken for granted. Ever.

At one point, while we were saying our good nights, I told Bryan I wanted to do more than just drop a few tears for the people in Joplin. I wanted to help in every way I could. So, we bagged up clothes that we knew we could live without and we hopped onto their website twice in the last week to donate. And, now I am encouraging all of you who want to help. Bag up clothes you haven't seen in months, buy some boxed food items or water or visit Red Cross's website and donate. $10 can go a long way; every little bit helps! Click here. Most of all, keep those prayers coming for the people in Joplin and for all those who have lost their homes and loved ones due to natural disasters in the past few weeks. Here's hoping that the big man upstairs has a good sit down talk with Miss Mother Nature as we could all use a lot of sunshine and summer right about now!



(A very surreal photo by Gary Lezak of Kansas City downtown as some of the tornadoes passed through the area on Wednesday morning.)