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The Joplin Perspective

Guest post by: Jim Stovall

Article Overview: Joplin, Missouri is a relatively small city situated in southwest Missouri. I have been through Joplin many times in my life as it is located halfway between where I've lived the majority of my life and where my grandparents lived; therefore, Joplin, Missouri always seemed like more of a rest stop to me. It was a place to stretch your legs, buy gasoline, and get a quick bite to eat.

The Joplin Perspective

Joplin, Missouri is a relatively small city situated in southwest Missouri. I have been through Joplin many times in my life as it is located halfway between where I've lived the majority of my life and where my grandparents lived; therefore, Joplin, Missouri always seemed like more of a rest stop to me. It was a place to stretch your legs, buy gasoline, and get a quick bite to eat.

Joplin, Missouri has a population of approximately 50,000 people. I had never really thought much about Joplin until a brief moment a few weeks ago when a tornado literally and utterly destroyed one-third of the city, killing over 140 people.

I traveled through Joplin a few days after the tornado on my way to a family reunion. The random and awesome force of an F-5 tornado is hard to describe in words or capture in pictures. Suffice it to say there are whole city blocks in Joplin, Missouri where absolutely nothing is left. If you had hired a bulldozer contractor to remove absolutely everything in an entire city block, he or she could not have done a better job than the tornado did.

When I arrived at the family reunion, I had a new perspective as all of my family-even those who live in southwest Missouri-were safe and sound. At dinner one night during the family gathering, a long-time family friend joined us for the meal. He lives about 75 miles from Joplin but works as a hospital supplier in the Joplin area. This family friend actually maintains an apartment near the Joplin hospital for his frequent trips to the area.

On what he thought was a normal, average Sunday night, he was preparing to drive to Joplin and spend the night in his apartment so he would be in town and ready for an early meeting at the hospital Monday morning. He got caught up in some family activities, and he was having fun with the kids and didn't want to interrupt the family fun, so he made a random decision to stay home, get up early Monday morning, and drive to Joplin.

A few hours later, the tremendous force of a tornado hit Joplin, Missouri. Its fury seemed to be focused on the hospital and the several city blocks surrounding it. The reality struck home as this family friend described the fact that his apartment and people's homes in the area weren't simply damaged or destroyed. They were utterly gone, seeming to have disappeared into thin air.

Had our family friend followed his initial plan and gone to Joplin Sunday night, he-like the apartment-would have been simply gone. There is no possible way to imagine having survived a tornado like that at the point where it touched down.

As I sat and listened to this friend describing his experience and having the opportunity to be with all of my family, I realized that the things we consider ordinary, routine, and expected can never be taken for granted.

As you go through your day today, work as if you will live forever but live as if today was your last day.

Today's the day!

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Article Tags: Jim Stovall, joplin missouri, Motivation, perspective, tornado



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