I am shocked and devastated by what the people of Oklahoma are going through right now. I can’t even imagine being a mommy of those still missing children who were sent to school just like any other morning and are now unaccounted for, presumably stuck in the rubble of what used to be their school.
Hubby and I were fortunate to have spent two years living in Oklahoma City after college. It is probably my most favorite place we’ve ever lived and the only one I’ve ever 100% wanted to return to. What makes Oklahoma such a wonderful place to live, in my opinion, is the people. You will never meet a more welcoming, helpful and genuinely nice community of people anywhere than those that make up the population of Oklahoma and that makes this tornado story even more heartbreaking for me. Why did this happen to these people? The ones who are always there to help others, to put others before themselves and who so cherish their community?
When we left Oklahoma for Ft. Lauderdale, I longed to go back. In Oklahoma, I loved my job, had a ton of people I could call on should I have needed them and had a beautiful house which would have been perfect for starting our family. I would give anything to be raising my children in Oklahoma instead of here. People in Oklahoma actually have strong moral compasses, they care about each other and are invested in their children. I never had trouble meeting people there. We knew all of the people who lived in our cul-de-sac and socialized often. In contrast, our first Florida home we knew none of our neighbors, in Dublin we knew none of our neighbors and now in our new Florida home we only know two neighbors and only socialize with one. I miss the community togetherness that is Oklahoma.
The people of Oklahoma know they live in tornado country and that a tornado could hit at any moment (just as we now live in hurricane country). But knowing it’s possible doesn’t ease the devastation when it occurs, especially with a storm of this magnitude. While living there, we experienced two tornados, both a good distance from our home but close enough to cause the tornado sirens to go off, definitely some of the most terrifying moments of my life.
My thoughts are with my friends in Oklahoma and all the people who have suffered losses of property, homes and especially families. I know this community will recover. The power of community is stronger than any storm and Oklahomans are survivors!
