The Best Sort of Cheer: A Dancing Baby

Whew.  Yesterday was a doozie, and I merely stayed at home, playing with the kids all day.  Joplin, however, was coming together in remembrance and celebration.  So much has been done, built, renewed.  The school district broke ground for three new schools including Joplin High School.  Thousands of Joplinites swarmed the tornado zone on a unity walk.  It feels like the past several days have been all-Joplin-pride, all-the-time, and they have been that.  President Obama, for pete's sake, delivered JHS's graduation commencement speech Monday night.  All-Joplin-Pride has been swelling through the city.  Filling us up. 

And you know the crazy thing?  To the world (or whoever's paying attention) it might appear that our attitudes are new.  Pulled out for just this week.  But those proud attitudes have been year-round.  We love what our city has become.  Not the physical city -- the new buildings are nice, but that's not where our love lies.  It lies in each other.  We've seen the goodness of people.  Helping, sharing, working, loving people.

It's a good thing to be reminded of: humanity can be awe-inspiring.

Still, the memories from a year ago are haunting.  So to stop that sadness from spreading out of hand, I need to share some sheer pleasure with you.

Here is Landon, Party Rocking.  May it cheer you as it does us!  (And thank you for your prayers and thoughts while Joplin has been -- and continues to be -- rebuilding!