Joplin Two Months Later

Last month, a dear friend arranged through United Way to take her kids to Joplin and volunteer for a couple of days. She invited me and my kids along. I was tickled to watch my kids work so hard in the sweltering heat.

It was an experience.So many people with nothing, people who lost both homes and jobs. Although they need help, they won't take a bit more than absolutely necessary as they do all they can to get back on their feet. Many of them are spending part of their time volunteering, finding a way to make sense of it all as they serve and lift others.

Two short vignettes:

A family with two young sons, were sitting in the emergency room for dad's broken rib when it hit. Rented home? Gone. Mom's and Dad's jobs? Gone. Just paid off truck? Found totaled two blocks away in a tree with a car in the back. Husband had a stroke during the tornado and for a while, they thought he was dead. The things they saw and walked over as they left the hospital will never fully leave them. The boys are in counseling to deal with it, but the family is intact, with smiles on their faces as you talk to them. Grateful for life and more days together, regardless of what they've lost.

A man who's lived a hard life, you can see it on his face, was in Chicago when it hit and came to help his sister whose home was damaged. He lost everything in Katrina and could never remember feeling more desolate and alone. But people came from everywhere and lifted him back up and he vowed if anything like this ever happened again, he'd get there and volunteer and so there he was working and giving hope.

I could tell more, but suffice to say, we met amazing people who were undaunted in the face of devastation.

Here are some pics (click to see the larger version).

Notice the steps lead to the nowhere now that the house is gone, but the rubble has been cleared away ready to rebuild and the family is living in a trailer with a new shed.

Can you see the three pieces of metal wrapped around what is left of this tree?

Most of the rubble has been pushed to the streets to be taken away and the construction business is booming!

Signs of hope are everywhere.

Whoda thunk that you could safely ride out a tornado in the McDonald's playplace?

I loved the flags on display, this one from a tree...

...in the middle of the rubble.

...at a rebuilding sight.

It will take years, but the Joplin's spirit isn't broken. They'll be back. I loved this sign on a bank.

Vinyl banners were everywhere on businesses. This one says:

"WE WILL REBUILD!"

I had to take a picture of the Chick-Fil-A because our family adores that place.

Yes, the Home Depot that you saw on the news has reopened from this massive tent and it's a busy place.

There are still stickers on the new windows, but Walgreens is open.

Every church I saw had tents like this outside, collecting and distributing needed items.

 

I'll never forget the devastation, but what a beautiful thing to see people of all faiths come together to help our brothers and sisters in need.

Sometimes You Gotta Speak Up

This is not a political blog. But occasionally, I feel a need to speak up. Today is one of those days.

If you haven't already, go to this sight. Get it straight from the horses mouth.

This needs the light of day. So take a minute and click on the link above and spread the word.

A Little Ticked at Target

 A few months back a number of bloggy friends started a little crusade to clean up their corner of the world by asking Target to use those plastic "thingeys" that let you see the title of the magazine and the photo, but cover up all the words along the side. Cosmo being the magazine in question.

I, too, had been bugged by the mag and felt like I should wage a battle in my neck of the woods. But, to be honest, I was chicken and usually rushed while at Target (a convenient little excuse that assuaged my concience for a while). But as I continued to see the smutty covers, daughter whose reading skills were becoming increasingly adept in tow, I became more and more bugged. So, one day, when I had a bit of time and Target wasn't very busy, I simply asked the checker to let me speak to the manager. She left to find the manager, and I stood there trying not to look nervous.

I was taken aback when the manager appeared. She looked seventeen! But, I calmly made my case. After pointing out the offensive phrases on the latest Cosmo cover and drawing her attention to the fact that it was displayed right at eye level for children, I asked her if she wanted to explain what these phrases meant to my six year old daughter (that came straight off of someone's blog, maybe Mommy Snark, but I'm not sure). She made some excuse about how she didn't think they could use those "thingeys" (I truly wish I knew what they were called), because Cosmopolitan paid to have their magazine displayed in that prominent location and to alter it would be a breach of their contract (or something like that). When I pressed and explained that I simply wanted to be able to bring my daughter to their business establishment without the need to  talk to her about sex after every trip, she told me that she thought that it would have to be a nationwide Target policy in order for them to be used. When I informed her that I had friends (thanks bloggy buds!) who had talked to the managers of Target in their states and that they now used the "thingeys", she said something about how a local grocery store chain doesn't carry Cosmo anymore because they didn't want to use the plastic "thingeys" (which had nothing whatsoever to do with the point I had just made, but seemed to satisfy her). She told me that she would look into the issue. Which I took to be a nice way of saying, don't let the door hit you on the way out.

I went home and emailed multiple friends who patronize this Target, told them my story and asked them to talk to management if they felt comfortable doing so. I know of two friends who did, but they got the same run around. Since then, I have emailed corporate headquarters and snailmailed the local store about the issue. No response and, of course, nothing has changed.

I know I can choose to go elswhere, but Target is literally within walking distance of my home and I love the convenience. I would like to continue with my little battle, but am at a loss as to what to do next. Any suggestions?