The Waving Wheat Can Sure Smell Sweet

Technology has enabled us to participate from our living room in remarkable and grand events.  Walks on the Moon.  Safe landings of disabled air crafts.  People rescued off bridges, plucked from raging rivers, and saved from burning buildings.  We're invited guests at royal weddings and as a deaf child hears his Mother's voice for the first time. We smile through our tears as children are surprised by parents, returning home from war.

Sometimes what we see is horrific and life-changing.  Can anyone forget seeing the second plane come flying toward the World Trade Center?  Remember regular morning programming interrupted and the cut to what had been the Murrah Building?  Or yesterday, as we watched the funnel gather and grow stronger. The sky darkened and the radar screen in the corner of our television charted the course of the twister.  The weathermen calmly telling those in its path to take shelter, and behind them, the staccato storm alerts blasting the air. We watched in horror, because we knew what was about to happen.  We knew and we were helpless to change the course of events that would be the result of the tornado.

We watched the horror, but we were also allowed to experience the joy.  The joy as a frantically searching parent finally locates their young child.  A lost family emerges from a storm cellar.  The heroism of teachers with their young charges. An elderly woman survives the loss of her home, but mourns only the loss of her dog.  As we all watched, the reporter notices a small head peeking from the wreckage.  The woman breaks into a huge smile as they pull the pup from what once was her living room. She shares through her tears. "God answered both my prayers. "I am alive and so is my dog."

Over and over again, we hear the same refrain.  "It's only stuff. We'll rebuild. We have our family.  God is good.  We are alive."

And so it begins.  The rebuilding of lives.  Maybe, just maybe, because so many have participated in the event, rebuilding will be a little easier.  We all were there with our Oklahoma sisters and brothers as the world turned dark and threatening.  We will be there with time and money, and prayers. 

I want to share something that came through a social media site.  The author is Rana Gilpin.

And on the 9th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need someone to live where the red dirt is settled." So God made Oklahomans. He said "I need someone who can handle the blistering summers and the freezing winters." So God made Oklahomans. "I need someone who can wake up in the morning, drink black coffee, head out to the fields, cut the wheat, bale the hay, and stay in those fields till long after dark" so God made Oklahomans. "I need people tough enough to stand the heat as they work day in and out on drilling rigs and pumping units." So God made Oklahomans. "I need people to wear Orange & Black, Crimson & Cream and though those schools are rivals, all can rise together to support the Orange & Blue." So God made Oklahomans. "I need people who believe in me and the power of goodness. People who aren't afraid to say 'Hello!' to one another and welcome in visitors to their land with open arms." So God made Oklahomans. "I need people who are strong enough to stand thru the strongest storms and the most devastating heartbreaks" So God made Oklahomans. And amidst the destruction, turn to me for comfort and come together as a state and rise above it all. So God, made Oklahomans.

I want to share another site-  http://www.buzzfeed.com/bennyjohnson/best-things-about-living-in-oklahoma

It is self-explanatory if you are an Oklahoman. born and bred or transplanted. We are one people from the best state in this grand country. We are Okies.

We Know we belong to the land

And the land we belong to is grand

 You're Doing Fine Oklahoma

Oklahoma. O.K.