God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. ...The Lord Almighty is within us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Today's post was originally going to be about something else, but with what is weighing on my heart, I will save it for tomorrow.
My eyes were glued to the television last night, as I am sure many of yours were too, to hear of the devastating tornado that took a path through Oklahoma. What I saw brought tears to my eyes and memories of all too recent events to mind (more on the story here). Almost two years ago (May 22, 2011), the deadliest tornado to ever hit the United States hit Joplin, Missouri. Joplin is about 30 minutes away from where I live and we commute to the town weekly, if not daily at times. Having family and many friends live in the area, I saw the damage first hand and it is a vision etched in my memory for a lifetime. After living through May 22nd, my feelings toward the footage and pictures of Moore, Oklahoma were a little more heartbreaking. What really made my heartbreak was hearing about the schools.
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| Photo: Sue Ogrocki |
From my teacher perspective, many things have went through my mind throughout the day. As I laid in bed this morning before work, I thanked God for waking me up to be on this earth another day. As for all those that were not able to or effected by the storms, my heart goes out to you and you are in my prayers. I walked the elementary halls with joy today and was proud to be a teacher. I know that no matter what the outcome was for the students in the Moore schools, the teachers did everything in their power to protect the sweet children from any danger. For that, no amount of pay will ever compensate. I could rant and rave how I think we should be paid more, but that is not why any of us teach. We teach because we have compassionate hearts and we want to enrich children's lives in all aspects no matter the circumstances and to us, that is worth more then any paycheck. Seeing a smile on a child's face melts my heart, in which no paycheck could ever do.
Some may consider Moore, Oklahoma teachers hero's after the way they protected the students in their care, but really, they were just doing what has always been asked of them in their job description. Therefore, I think this calls for them being called a hero everyday, although I doubt that any of them would accept the title.
xo
Miss Mal
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