Small Town Bond

Once again, destruction hits my old stomping grounds.  Another tornado hit one of the small towns I, essentially, grew up in.  It's the second time in two years and it's absolutely devastating to see.  I'm looking at pictures of the devastation, seeing people's Facebook posts, and knowing that they're struggling and my heart just aches.  It just aches.

There is a very real bond that exists when you grow up in a small town.  In my case, there is a cluster of small towns that sort of fuse together.  While I grew up in one, I spent most of my time in another and went to high school (and spent a good deal of time) in a couple more.  This tiny cluster of towns was my whole world for a very big part of my childhood.  It was the kind of place where you could have scavenger hunts and no one cared if you were running through their yard because they knew you and knew your parents.  It was the kind of place where you didn't dare act up because the people in that town all knew your parents and they'd take you back to your house rather than down to the police station.  It's a bond...a family.  No one outside of these towns ever really understands it and it's not something you can truly explain.

While I love Denver and while this feels like home to me now, I am so torn.  Seeing this devastation, I want to be back home helping everyone clean up.  I want to be there to hug my "family" and let them know that I'll do whatever I can.  I want to be there to bring boxes to them or maybe just a warm meal.  It truly pulls at my heart strings that I'm not there with the people that I love so much.

I'm amazed at the heartlessness I've seen on news stories about this event and beyond.  People are so busy picking apart whether or not this small town is truly a part of the Chicago metro area or not that they seem to forget that some detail of location like that (which can be argued fairly by either side) isn't the point.  The point is that people were affected and lost everything.  My opinion to the people arguing over ridiculous details is this: If you aren't going to say something supportive to victims of a natural disaster who OBVIOUSLY did nothing to deserve this, then shut your mouth.  If you don't like seeing certain aspects of it in your newsfeed, scroll on by.  No one is forcing you to look at anything and CERTAINLY no one needs you to sound off on how this or that is inaccurate, wrong, etc unless you are helping the situation.  Please remember that these victims have been through enough and they don't need your criticism.   They need your love and help in whatever way you can offer it, even if it means "just" (and I use the quotations because I don't feel it's unimportant AT ALL) praying and sending good vibes.