Thoughts of Joplin

I keep thinking about the awful memories that must be stored in the minds of the HS kids who graduated in Joplin the night of the tornado. Like you, I've seen the videos of that high school ceremony held just before hell broke loose.

It's such a nightmarish juxtaposition: the joyous graduation and the tornado, almost in one breath. And of course the idea that one of them was killed that night after the ceremony will always haunt them.

Memories can be debilitating. I hope it's not that way for this group of kids. Sometimes you can find strength in adversity. I hope that's the way it works out for them, and that they get the support they need. May they survive and build strong lives despite (and perhaps even because of) the damn tornado.

And doesn't it seem odd that I'm commenting on something that happened way, way, way back in the past -- like more than a day ago? The disasters mount and we forget them so quickly. It almost seems out-of-synch to refer to a past disaster. They're gone and we've moved on to the next ones, which seem always to be waiting in the wings. This is a strange state of affairs and the horrible thing is that we're getting used to it.