Hope

On May 22, 2011 everything changed.

It's been 3 years since that day I know we will never forget. 

Although, I do not live in Joplin currently, the town I do live in practically turns into Joplin.

Our house is less than 2 miles from the city limits.

Everything is is Joplin.  I was born there, lived there, went to school there, took dance there, went to college there.  Everything is there.  Stores, restaurants, family, everything.

My husband is a Joplin boy, born and raised, went to JHS.  Our Joplin roots are deep.

I feel guilty because the night it happened we were looking out the window thinking it looked really windy, when so many people were having the worst night of their lives.

When our satellite came back on, we saw St. John's on the Weather Channel.  It was the weirdest thing, seeing something you knew so well, looking so foreign.  People started calling and we started trying to get ahold of everyone.  Phones were spotty.  We were so lucky that all our family was safe.  Some damage, but safe.

We had school the next day.  That was the hardest day of teaching ever.  Every teacher's mind was somewhere else and every kid needed our full love and support.

The next month was spent trying to help clean up any way we could.  We wanted to feel like we were doing something, anything.

This was my aunt's classroom.

This was a storm shelter at a rental house our aunt and uncle own.  I think like 15 people were safe in there.  Uncle Don's boat was being stored there and was thrown almost on top of the door.

My parent's best friends lost their amazing historic home.  I spent so much of my childhood running the halls of this house.  They were safe in the basement.  Thank God.




The town came together in so many magical ways.

We found this guy about a week after in our neighborhood.  Even the wild animals were in disarray.  Poor baby.


Now this is our view from our window.