The Distress Of The Midwest.

Last night I watched various news reports concerning the natural disasters that hit this past weekend in regions of the Midwest. While viewing the footage clips of the destruction sites, I could feel my heart sink deep in my chest. I was completely heartbroken. Many are suffering the loss of homes, schools, towns, livestock, businesses, equipment, and much more. As a result of the catastrophe in Wayne, NE, many people are forced to start over. Or in case of the rancher in the foothills and prairies of South Dakota who are still digging through snowdrifts to find their livestock. They’ve been working through the 60 plus mile per hour wind, out on foot or on a horse if they were lucky enough just to save what they could.  With these situations in mind, I began to imagine, “What if I had lost everything that I was dependent on and was forced to pick up what remained and start over?”

“Thoughts of starting over?” ***

            On a simple level, starting over is a hard concept for me to fathom. And to be honest these thoughts have never really sparked any real emotion, because truthfully what are my chances of having everything that I am dependent on taken away from me. However on a much larger scale, there are many things that I take for granted everyday: a house, food, money, clothes, family, and friends. For instance, tonight I’ll go home and sleep in my own bed and when I wake up I’ll eat breakfast and carry on as normal. After observing the devastation and turmoil that many families in the Northwest area are dealing with, has made me reanalyze my perspective on life. Truth is I could wake up tomorrow and have everything taken away. Because of the devastations in the Midwest, communities, families, and homes are left in distress. It is from these disasters that we can all gain the important lesson to not take anything for granted. So today, please look around you and appreciate all that you have been rewarded with. Never take these things for granted because in reality, they could all be taken away from you in a matter of hours, minutes, or seconds. 

*** Please keep the families affected by these tragedies in your prayers!!  

Livestock buried nearly 3ft under snow in Sturgis, SD  

Aftermath of tornado in Wayne, NE

Tornado that touched down in Wayne, NE. Its path was 19 miles long with a maximum width of 1.38 miles. The estimated peak wind speed was 170 miles per hour. 

Wayne, NE

“Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” Acts 18:9-10