The Tornado in Joplin

My heart is heavy this morning thinking about all the Missourians in the Southwest corner of our state in Joplin who have been affected by the deadly tornado that hit yesterday. At bedtime, the news reported 24 dead, but this morning the count is up to 89. I get chills listening to audio reports and watching news footage of the devastation.

Except for thunderstorms that rumbled through early evening, our area was spared. The tornado sirens went off as the sky darkened last night, but the twister abated by the time it got to the Eastern part of the state.

I have the folks from Joplin in my prayers, especially my writing friends who live there. I got to know several writers from Joplin while I served on the board of the Missouri Writers' Guild and later when I served as the president of MWG. I was able to chat with a couple of them at the MWG conference last month.

The Joplin writers are such a talented and generous group. Each year at the MWG conference awards ceremony, the writers at their table have their names called in just about every category. They set the high standard for writers throughout the rest of the state.

While I'm praying for my writing friends and all the residents in Joplin, I realize that life goes on, and one way to work through times like this is to write. So, while my friends in Joplin are on my mind and in my prayers, I'm going to continue to do what I know--and write.