I call my youngest sister “Munchkin.” It’s a nickname that developed after college when I moved back into my parent’s house. I came back to California for my teaching credential, and I didn’t really want to take out any loans, so I returned to the nest. While living with my parents didn’t exactly expand my social life, it did provide me with a cool opportunity to get to know my youngest sister. I left for college when she was entering seventh grade and spent a great deal of most summers away on internships. When I returned home after graduation, the “Munchkin” was just about to begin her junior year. I helped her out with her Sweet Sixteen birthday bash, celebrated when she got her license, saw her performances in school plays, wished her well as she headed off to prom, and realized that my sister was pretty cool.
It was fun. We developed our own shorthand conversation sequence that continues to this day. I’d ask her (in a cheesy afterschool special voice):
“Did you make any friends today?”
“Are you making good choices?”
As she’d depart for an evening with friends, I’d say something like “don’t forget to rob a bank and kidnap the President for me.” My parents would roll their eyes, but my sister and I got it. The other thing she got was the nickname. It appears on Christmas gifts from me, an occasional facebook message, and definitely in voicemails.
I really enjoyed hanging out with the “Munchkin” during those two years. When she departed for college it was tough, but nothing compared to after she completed her bachelors degree and left for Kirksville, Missouri.
Her boyfriend started attending medical school in the area and my sister went with him to pursue some post-bac classwork. I had never heard of Kirksville and regularly placed it in the wrong part of the state when people asked me about its location. I’d still call up my sister and we’d have the funny dialogues, but it was tougher with the time difference. Things got easier this past spring when I spoke at the state convention for the Missouri Association of Student Councils. I hopped in my rental car moments after I was done and headed up to Kirksville to spend the weekend with the “Munchkin”, her boyfriend, and their cat, Lucky.
Kirksville is incredibly small. To be blunt, I’m surprised it is considered a city and not a town. I was worried how my sister might do out there, with major airports, shopping malls, and major theatres being a few hours away. Kirksville and my sister actually surprised me. She formed a really nice group of friends—most associated with the medical school. They were all so kind when I visited. We went bowling, shared some good meals, and rocked some MarioKart on the Wii. I could definitely see my sister was “making good choices” and “making friends.”
In the past month or so, I wasn’t really thinking about Kirksville. My sister was preparing to head back to California for a summer job, and I was busy working on my last few speaking engagements of the school year. Then, last Wednesday right after I finished going through security at Sky Harbor Airport, my cell phone rung. It was my mom.
“A tornado hit Kirksville. Your sister is fine and Jeff and Lucky are okay.”
The initial details were fairly limited, but the basic story goes like this. My sister headed off to her job as a waitress. Upon arrival the managers informed her about the tornado safety procedure with customers (something we don’t tend to review out west). My sister called her boyfriend who was taking a much needed nap break amidst his crazy medical school schedule. He ended up falling back asleep. A few minutes later, the restaurant told my sister the tornado was going to hit. She called up her boyfriend again and he was able to grab the cat and find a nearby neighbors house that had a basement just in time.
After checking into my hotel late that night, I popped online to see if I could read any news stories about the tornado. One contained a few pictures and the environment looked familiar. I called the Munchkin up the next day and asked her about the images. It turns out they were of her block and her next door neighbor—no joke—literally the house right next door. (Check out the photos here. “Dave Coulter” is my sister’s next door neighbor)
The tornado went right down my sisters block. Almost every house on it was destroyed. There was no power for miles. She had no running water. Police were called in to prevent looting. My sister’s place was still standing, but now was full of broken glass from every window in it. If her boyfriend not left when he did, there is a very strong chance he could have been killed. The siding was ripped off and there was some damage to her roof.
In the coming days, through texts, quick phone calls, facebook status updates, more of the story unfolded.
The tornado had picked up a barn and dropped it on the main roadway leading to my sister’s place. Several people joined together and literally picked it up enabling others to access the heavy hit areas.
Nearby churches and restaurants provided my sister and her neighbors with food and water while they waited for insurance agents and landlords to evaluate their situations.
A bus full of Amish people arrived to assist with the cleanup.
The block was heavily populated with med students. The medical school gave residents of my sister’s block a week off from classes in order to deal with the tornado aftermath.
This isn’t to say that things are easy. My sister is living in a hotel now. There is broken glass in almost every one of her possessions. She’s trying to pack up for the summer, but her home looks—well—like a tornado went through it. Her boyfriend still has to complete finals for school—many of his notes disturbed and damaged by the storm. They are both dealing with an enormous amount of stress, but they are dealing with it well.
Last night I texted my sister to encourage her to watch GLEE. She’s a big fan of musical theatre, and I thought she might like it. Another part of me was simply feeling a little bit of glee.
Really, I still can’t believe it—A week ago today, a tornado literally destroyed my sister’s block, yet she, her boyfriend, and their cat all made it out alive, and I’m thrilled.
I guess I just wanted to use today’s blog to just provide a moment to pause. I know a lot of us are dealing with some really tough stuff right now. I know it can be difficult and I know it most definitely isn’t fun. But today, I just wanted to pause and go WOW. There is some good in this world and it makes me smile. There is kindness in strangers, there are blessings in tragedies, and it makes me smile.
That and the fact that my sister’s nickname is now really applicable. I love you Munchkin!