Joplin

I have never been to Joplin
the boys' tennis team from Joplin came earlier in the tennis season
their high school exists no longer
Brandon called from Bosnia earlier today to make sure we were ok
since Missouri is on the world map of sad events

a tree across the street from us lost a major limb and will
be taken down
we braced for storm winds covered a car with blankets and a rug
trying to protect from hail that was crashing across the state
there were hail descriptions and a chart showed variances
from pea size to golf ball to baseball and a weird egg size in the corner
of one meteorologist's graphs

I prepared the little bathroom downstairs in case we needed to crowd in there
if it got especially bad
the couch in my art room was made comfy and if we needed pillows
and a mattress to cover our heads, we were ready

Bryan shared with us that his best friend has connections
in Joplin, family and friends
they all happened to be out of town
and when they return
they will not have homes to go to
completely demolished

the map shows that more storms are coming
this is the season
glued to CNN, they are doing the best coverage
I was so heartbroken
by the scope of the damage and loss
thank god the high school graduation was held in a different location

one of the first reporters on the scene was a pro from The Weather Channel
he was so overwhelmed even after years of chasing these storms
that he was in tears that matched the rain

listening to the people talk
always the emphasis
is the value of all values - precious life
you can always buy another car
but a loved one is a priceless treasure