Moore, Oklahoma: "Boys Are Safe. House And Stuff Gone."

Photo taken amidst the rubble of Monday's tornado in Moore, Oklahoma

After learning of the devastating tornadoes in Moore, Oklahoma yesterday, my heart stopped as I frantically sought out information on friends that live in this bedroom community of Oklahoma City.

A few hours passed with no word, as I anxiously prayed that all was well and perhaps they were just unable to contact the outside world.

A quick Facebook post brought an uneasy sigh of relief, as I read that they were alive. However, the next sentence struck me with the force of a freight train. “Boys are safe. House and stuff gone.”

“House and stuff gone.” Our friends’ sons were home when the tornado hit their home. They got out alive. The house was damaged by the high winds of the tornado. Then, to add insult to injury, the house caught on fire, destroying any remnants of hope of salvaging any of their belongings.

If you have seen news footage of a burning house amidst the destruction, you have seen their home. The home where they had raised their boys, the home that they moved when the husband had taken on a leadership position at a local Bible college. The home where they had made unforgettable memories as a family.

It is now all gone. But is it really? Physically, yes, the house and their possessions are gone. But the memories still remain. While the clothes, the furniture, the walls, the vehicles, and knickknacks have been destroyed, their lives have been saved.

They are alive. Amidst all the ruin that is being flashed across the television screens across the country, amidst all the heartbreaking stories that continue to come out of yesterday’s brutal storms, amidst all of the tears our country has shed for the helpless victims, I keep reminding myself that they are alive to tell their story.

Sadly, not all were as fortunate as my friends. As the death toll rises, I somberly reflect on what each death means to his or her loved ones. As crews frantically sift through the wreckage of elementary schools that were hit, I pray for good news.

Every story I hear, every testimonial, every first-hand account, makes me put myself in the place of the victims. As one woman explained, she and her husband saved their daughter’s life as the tornado tried to take her by grabbing, and holding onto, her hair. I wept openly. An immense feeling of horror overwhelms me every time I think of how those parents felt, watching their daughter be pulled away from them by the tornado, yet being able to grasp her by the hair and hold onto her, for literally, dear life. They are alive to tell their story.

The tenacity of the human spirit is immeasurable. Moore, Oklahoma will rebuild. Possessions will be replaced. Our country will rally around our hurting brothers and sisters, helping in any way possible.

We will mourn as a nation for those lives that were lost. They will live on in our collective memories, and through the lives that they have touched.

What we are reminded of by the events of yesterday is this: the most important things in life aren’t things. They are the lives of those we hold dear. May we live each day with purpose. With intentional joy and thanksgiving. With love for one another. 

May we celebrate life. Always. For we know not when we will lose it.

"The most important things in life aren't things." - Anthony J. D'Angelo

~Annie

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