Homecoming

Being so far away from home it is certainly easy to feel disjointed from what is happening there, but when it makes national news it is a different scenario.

A question that I am frequently asked is if we get a lot of tornadoes. People are in awe of their power and sense of mystique because they have never experienced one. They assume my home in Tornado Alley makes me some sort of an expert, but I am far from it. My hometown of Stillwater, Oklahoma fosters a community of people pretty comfortable when the tornado sirens sound, signaling that it is our time to seek safety. The reason for this is that we are situated in a bowl, so the powerful storms dance around our town and we are safe. Facing storms makes us feel invincible, and adds to our recognition of Stillwater as a little safe haven. In reality, we have no immunity when it comes to tragedy, and perhaps us failing to recognize this is why when something terrible happens, it seems as though the world stops spinning.

I am not going to bore you with details of the incident, but instead tell you what it was like feeling so disconnected from the town that shaped me. However, in case you don't want to sift through the numerous news stories here is brief overview of the situation...

In my hometown we pride ourselves with having one of the biggest homecoming celebrations in the country. The central event of the weekend is always a huge football game, and the morning of the game we have a parade. The weekend was filled with joy just as it always was year after year, until the parade was coming to a close. A driver, who wasn't part of the parade crashed into people watching. It sounds pretty bad, right? Well it definitely was, and the proof is in the outcome.

An incident like this is shocking regardless of where you are, but something like this so greatly juxtaposes the constant condition of Stillwater that the impact is immeasurable. I was casually scrolling through my social media to see my friends' pictures of their exciting first homecoming as OSU students when, on Twitter of all places, I saw a headline something along the lines of "Tragedy at OSU Homecoming." With a younger sister walking in the parade, an older sister studying at OSU, parents employed by OSU and the majority of my friends being OSU students, my level of panic peaked. Literally all I could do was call people to check on them and that was it. Thankfully, all of my family and friends were not involved.

The weirdest part is that despite such a terrible thing happening, all I wanted was to be at home. The best quality of my town is that when anything happens, everyone unites regardless of whether they are family or complete strangers. Stillwater is a family and even in Pennsylvania I am so blessed to be a part of it.

Side note: sorry for the forlorn topic, next week I'll try to do something happier like puppies or Insomnia Cookies.

Picture credits to
OSU Alumni Association