Hearts broken: Sad news out of Oklahoma reminds us of priorities

An unknown number of children in an elementary school, possibly dozens more residents lost in the neighborhoods surrounding Moore, Okla.

It is heart-breaking. It is sobering.

It is enough to make you think.

It can happen in a minute, a disaster like this.

A swirl of wind, a rush of water and a community has to start over.

We have seen devastation like this more than once -- and it is as unsettling now as it always is.

So our hearts go out to the families who now must handle the grief, the loss and the fear.

And if you are like most of us, an event like this makes you think about your own family and what really matters.

So as you watch the news and wait for word on what the victims need and how you can help, pull your children closer, pick up the phone and mend a fence with an estranged family member or check in with a friend from whom you have not heard in a long time.

These connections, these blessings, these people are what really matter -- not the big screen television, not the new car, not even the house that you live in.

If you watch the footage from Oklahoma, you will see that those who made it through are too busy hugging their children and loved ones to think about the material loss.

We should be, too.

Published in Editorials on May 21, 2013 10:48 AM