We could not get the horrific damage in Moore Oklahoma out of my mind. Finally, we conceded and rose to mull all the emotions that were overwhelming us. Mom feels guilty for being blessed by the house we live in and that our children are here while so many do not know where their children are. Once things are in perspective that we will still feel sad but also very grateful for what we do have.
We are blessed to not reside in an area that faces potential tornadoes. It probably is very beautiful there when it is not peak tornado season, we don't know. Oklahoma is not a place we have seen for our self. We did learn that the state does not have good economic conditions and has lots of low income communities. The lives they face everyday are harder than what we know. This is very unfortunate and hopefully change will come their way.
We wandered around in the darkness touching our picture frames randomly displayed around the house and tried to imagine the horror they felt losing their priceless memories. We decided to make copies of every picture we have hanging and to place them in a waterproof safe place that they would not be affected by the environment. That was one goal, we set after seeing the footage.
Another goal we determined was important to us was to call each of our children, grandchildren and tell them how much we love them and cherish the time we have shared. We don't do that often enough but we will. That life can change in a moment and it is unbearable to us to waste that opportunity.
We donated to the Red Cross because we realized how important every donation is to a family in need. We cannot conceive losing all of our personal items, our clothes, our basic hygiene supplies, etc. Me, I cannot imagine not having my favorite cat bed in front of the living room window with the morning sun. The images of pets without homes is terrifying to us. We are so lucky to have found our parents, we were all orphans but that is a story for another time. So we can comprehend the loss of that security one needs to survive.
Mom is really fond of her fuzzy red bathrobe, she would be lost without it. She drinks every cup of coffee in the morning in that robe and its been that way for the last 13 years. Dad bought it for her, and she loves the way it feels around her. She teases Dad that it is like he is holding her close. Yeah, they are silly that way and are always hugging each other much to our amusement. Dad hugged Mom a lot while they watched the coverage on the weather channel.
Why is it bothering Mom so much more this year? Our sister, you know the human one Amanda lives in Kansas so (parental units) notice the weather more. One of our human brothers lives in Maine, he is used to the winter weather and all that icky snow. Our other human brother lives in Norfolk and Mom worries when hurricane season begins. He was there during Irene, they were lucky the storm did not affect them directly other than power outages.
We had Hurricane Sandy but luckily for us we live forty minutes from the coast and we live in a truly stone fortress. Out house is three floors high but it is indeed one hundred percent stone and did not lose power at all. We had friends that lost power at their house for over a week. They stayed with us while the power was fixed. In the area where they live was lots of trees down and storm damage because of the wind.
Mom told me that now that she has seen a disaster unfold that quickly in Moore, Dad and her need to make plan for emergencies. We know we live in a relatively safe ever but as it did in Moore it only takes a moment. We've decided on an emergency preparedness kit to have ready at all time. Things you take for granted blankets, pillows, flash lights, extra batteries, some non perishable food and water bottles.
What do you have in place in case of an emergency? Have you considered the what if it is us? Do we have all of our documents in a safe place. Do you actually have a list of what you take in case you are injured, it will make your treatment easier.
We're still thinking of things we need to do. What will you do in emergency.
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