New Life After a Tornado

Our friends L and M live in Lodi, Ohio. There was a tornado there last week. The day after the tornado they took this picture in their butterfly garden. What a neat illustration of how God always brings life after death!

monarch emerging from chrysalis

Friday Ramblings

I'm having a brain sneeze this morning. My thoughts are kind of "all over the place".

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(Clouds in northeast Ohio, August 8, 2007)

We had storms rip through northeast Ohio yesterday afternoon. I have never liked thunderstorms--especially those greenish ones with the swirling clouds. Since the tornado hit Greensburg, I am even more skittish. Thankfully, we were safe. Only one person lost their life yesterday (as well as some livestock at a dairy farm). It could have been worse.

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Speaking of Greensburg, I experienced another night of "mourning" Tuesday evening. It brought tears, anguish, and many prayers for those I know and love in Greensburg.

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You should check out the afghan updates for "Rebuilding Greensburg--Block by Block". Laura Spradlin and all her contributors definitely deserve many kudos for their labor of love. The picture below is from her blog. That's only a few days' worth of squares, sent to her by knitters from all over the United States, Canada, and other parts of the WORLD! (If you see a bright yellow item in the lower righthand corner, that's part of a scarf made by yours truly--a non-knitter if there ever was one!)



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On a completely different note, we had to do the "school supplies" shopping trip a couple of days ago. We haven't done this for about 5 years, as we were home schooling. You see, when you home school, you buy supplies when they're on sale, and as you need them. As we walked toward the checkout with our "loot," it was a bit overwhelming. I don't remember needing all this stuff when I was a kid! We had a few notebooks, some pens and pencils, a bottle of glue, and some folders. We didn't need dry erase markers, special expandable folders, tab dividers, etc. And we definitely didn't have to supply the school with tissues, paper towel, and disinfectant wipes! (As a side note, I found a website that is an opportunity for helping school kids in Iraq. Check it out here.)

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Today is Friday, friends! Rejoice!

And a Pat On the Back for Martina McBride

Photo by Kelly Glasscock

I'm not a big country music fan, but Ms McBride did a great thing for Greensburg residents this weekend. Check out the article from the Wichita Eagle here.

And here are the lyrics to her new single, "Anyway". I really thought it had a good message:

ANYWAY
You can spend your whole life buildin'
Something from nothin'
One storm could come and blow it all away
Build it anyway

You could chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

God is great but sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway

This world's gone crazy
And it's hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway

You can love someone with all you heart
For all the right reasons
And in a moment they can choose to walk away
Love 'em anyway

God is great but sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
Yeah I do it anyway

You can pour your soul out singin'
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway
Yeah sing it anyway

I sing
I dream
I love anyway
© Findlyrics.com

Some Greensburg Photos

Even in donated gowns, no one could steal their moment!

A touch of humor.

Bush's Fault?

President Bush prays with Greensburg residents
in front of destroyed Methodist Church.
Photo fromwhitehouse.gov website




I got the following item in an e-mail forward. I thought it was an interesting perspective, anyway.
I'm not trying to change the tone of this blog to being political. Just thought this was interesting.
________________
Hi, my name is Tim Schieferecke and I'm a native western Kansas farmboy. No, I don't know anyone from Greensburg as I'm from northwest Kansas , but I do know what rural folks from anywhere in Kansas are like. Apparently my current leftist Governor Kathleen Sebelius doesn't though, nor does she comprehend the availability of heavy equipment assets. It was hard for me to hold my lunch down when I heard her craft an anti-Bush spin on the disaster that befell the good people of Greensburg . Slow recovery? This statement is disingenuous at best but in local lingo better understood as a downright lie. We need trucks? It seems the good Governor doesn't get out of Topeka much. Western Kansas is wheat country, and where there's wheat there's wheat trucks. Incidentally, they fill in quite nicely for hauling away debris when they aren't filled with grain. Why do they really need Hum-vees in the mix? What can they accomplish that a regular old four wheel drive pick-up can't? Other equipment? You can't spit without hitting a tractor, spit a little harder and you'll hit one that has a handy scoop. As far as the people go, they are salt of the earth good people, regardless of race, class or creed in the country. Unlike certain areas affected by disaster, the people of Greensburg will take care of their current problems themselves. They will not wait for the government to do this or that, because in the country people still know what it means to be a good neighbor. Growing up in this environment, I remember time after time the lessons my Dad taught me about being a good neighbor. Neighbors in the country take care of each other. From helping a neighbor get cattle back in to helping harvest his wheat if he was ill, neighbors in the country do whatever they can for each other as well as for anyone who happens to have a vehicle breakdown while passing through. So it will be with Greensburg . Also, I'd like the Governor to explain just how many National Guard troops it takes to seal off a little town of 1500 from looters? The good Governor points out plainly opportunistically that 40% of all troops overseas are National Guard. Now, assuming that 40% of Kansas troops are engaged elsewhere (that's 3,200 of approximately 8,000 total, there are an estimated
4,800 troops available). To guard a town of 1,500? Do they have that many down on the border? That sounds like overkill to me! It is beyond me how these libs spin everything towards making our good President guilty of this or that. How is it that President Bush has anything at all to do with a slow response to the catastrophe? How could ANYTHING have been done differently. Oh yeah, I forgot, Bush created global warming by colluding with big oil, that created the perfect F-5 tornado, and if only he had signed Kyoto this tragedy never would have happened. Give me a break!


President Bush consoles two Greensburg residents. Photo by Travis Heying, Wichita Eagle.

What Do They Need in Greensburg???

Obviously, not more toothbrushes! This is a humorous story I found on the Wichita Eagle's website. It also gives practical ideas...

How Many Toothbrushes Does Greensburg Need?

Things I Love About Kansas

There are too many things to list here. But I think this picture says more than my feeble words could ever express. The sunrises and sunsets are beyond breathtaking. (And yes, this is from Greensburg!)

How You Can Help

American Red Cross Midway-Kansas Chapter
P.O. Box 3726
Wichita, Kansas 67201
620-672-3651
(indicate that you want to give assistance for the Greensburg tornado victims)

1-800-SAL-ARMY
www.salarmy-mokan.org
If you go to this website and click "donate now", there will be a form to fill in for your donation. Under "donation details", donors can specify the amount they wish to give. There is also a box to fill in called "specific use". Just type in "Greensburg tornado", and they will make sure that is where your funds go.

Kansas Disaster Relief Fund
Box 1663
Dodge City, Kansas 67801
They also request that you put "Greensburg, KS, disaster relief" in your memo line.

And keep praying!!!!

For All My Friends and Family in Kansas

There is no humorous post from me today. My hometown was hit by a tornado last night. Please pray for Greensburg, Kansas, and the wonderful people there. It's hard to be in Ohio, when they're all there, trying to dig out. My heart and prayers are there, though.