My Week

MY WEEK:

This week started on Sunday as a typical Sunday. There wasn't anything unusual and then Sunday afternoon came and all hell broke loose. Firt they prediced we would have a tornado headed for Parsons as it was by McCune coming our way. Later we received hail from golfball size to baseball size. Our cars did receive some hail damage. Lots of rain storms etc....but nobody could imagine what happened next as the storm moved from us (without the tornado) to one hour from us on the Mo side there was a tornado. Not your small hopping around tornado but the large staying put damning tornado that took lives, businesses, homes, pets and much much more.

This week slowly we learned we have everyday heroes, people are helping with the aftermath, organizations are taking donations, students are helping and I am veryvery proud of the midwest. As of right now we know that there 124 dead and hundreds are missing. 14,000 people are without electric and nobody who went through the tornado, saw the devastation, those helping, reporting and forecasting will ever ever forget this horror.

Last night tornado sirens off in Joplin and this time it was a false alarm. I only hope they all continue to be false alarms as we finish with spring and go into summer.

If this isn't enough then my daughter calls me at noon today to tell me she is safe. I asked what she meant by "safe" a tornado touch down by where she works in Overland Park, Ks/Mo today and she had spent the past hour in the hallways of her office building. Then she told me it was headed for Blue Springs, Mo and she would let me know about her family. My son called and he checked in and FINALLY  she called. I can report that all is fine but as a mother and grandmother I spent the better part of today either praying or with a lump in my throat. The folks in Sedalia. Mo were not so lucky because while Blue Spring was spared there was a tornado that touched down and did damage in Sedalia, Mo.

Now as many of you know we were in a tornado in 2000 and we lost a lot but we had eachother and avery good friend of mine helped me out or I do not know what would have happened to us. it happens fast and furious and Joplin's was an F5 Tornado which is as bad as you can get and our in 2000 was only an F3 and I still have my unsettling moments. Today being one of them last Sunday being the other one.

What I want to say is hug your, child, tell your spouse you love them (I know it sounds corny but do it anyway) call that friend you miss so much, see people do things because we are not promised anything but this moment. If you have favorite author tell them they're your favorite author. I don't mean to be a downer I just want all of you ro know how much Terri and I love and appeciate you. Whether your a friend, author, cyberfriend, stitcher, mother daughter etc... we love you and thank you for your support.

BTW Carolyn Hart, Lorraine Barrett, Elaine Viets, Leslie Meir, Mary Daheim, Laura Lavine, Nancy Cohen, Susan McBride, Carolyn Dunn, Emily Brightwell,Joanne Pence, Lisa Scottoline, Selma Eichler you're all my favorite authors. There are more but I don't want to PR this piece just want you to know if Idie I'm taking your books with me just in case there is an afterlife and they won't give me a library card I'll have something to read.

Love,

Pamela