A Moment for Joplin, MO.

It is with heavy heart that I make the commute to work every day. I see the destruction through a path imprinted where the monster came and stripped us, homes now mere piles of rubble, businesses gone, and schools flattened. In fact normally the pile laying in front of you is only a small percentage of what was actually standing before the storm. The debris was carried so far and dispersed so haphazardly that distinguishing things can be very disorienting.

While assessing our continued cleanup the radio began to inform me of the horrible destruction in Joplin, MO. 89 people dead and the numbers still rising. 198 mile per hour winds. A city cut in half. Deja Vu slams into me and the tears flow freely.

Joplin, MO is hurting and we understand their pain. We cannot feel what they feel but our capacity for empathy seems to know no bounds this summer. So many things lost. So many people hurting. But know this, it is because of people like you, bidding, donating, contributing, spreading the word that towns like Hackleburg and Joplin will endure. They will endure with a strength unlike any other.  I am sure we will soon be supporting them in the same manner we are working for the rural communities here & I will be right there with you bidding away...

Our prayers are with those who have lost loved ones, who waited terrified for news of friends, who watched the horrific videos, who saw the aftermath photos and who feel they are alone. You are not alone. We are praying for you and we will see you rise again.

“Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. Love still stands when all else has fallen.”

-Courtney