The Oklahoma Standard, where did that phrase come from?
We Oklahomans are a resilient lot coming from
ancestors who hunted the buffalo, scratched out a living on sub-par soil and braved
the Dust Bowl and Depression years. Grandparents and parents who fought in wars
and carried on trying to give their children the best they could give.We are born with red dirt under our
fingernails, grit in our veins and nerves of steel to stare down a tornado and
come out the other side stronger than before. Why else would we stand out in a
parking lot filming an EF5 tornado bearing down on us with our cell phone?
Photo Courtesy of Steven Paul Judd
The Oklahoma Standard was coined from the April 19, 1995 Oklahoma CityBombing. We as a people came together to
do whatever it took to rescue injured children and adults who were trapped, recover
those who were lost, feed and house rescue workers, care for search dogs, who
worked long hours to find the victims of that terrible day.We are a people who stood in line for hours
and hours over several days to give blood.Businesses donated food, water, anything that was needed, it was
provided, no questions asked.We as a
people proved to a nation that was stunned at our grit, that we would not be
defeated in this, our most terrible hour. We did not have one case of looting.
Jump forward four years, May 3rd, 1999 around 5:45p.m., a
tornado categorized as an EF5 on the Fujita scale hit the city of Moore, OK and
for 32 miles wiped out everything in its path. The Weather men were not saying
this was a tornado warning but a “tornado emergency to seek shelter
underground.” After it passed The Oklahoma Standard kicked in immediately and
once more we came together giving blood, helping rescue people, providing food,
clothing, shelter, comfort and counseling.
Four years later on May 5th another tornado hit the same
area of the May 3rd tornado although not as devastating as the May 3rd
tornado it did a tremendous amount of damage. Again we came together and
rebuilt.
Tornado in cloud that dropped east of Norman
This past Sunday a tornado set down east of Norman by Lake Thunderbird
and roared its way over to just outside of Shawnee, OK, doing tremendous damage
and killing several people. We started coming together to help those affected
when Monday at 3:10 in the afternoon another EF5 tornado hit almost along the
same path taken by the May 3rd tornado 14 years earlier. This
tornado
Courtesy of Fox 25 News
tracked for 22 miles but was far more destructive with 210+mph winds. For the second time
in central Oklahoma’s history the weatherman said this was ”a tornado emergency
and to get underground.” We watched on our TV’s, iPhones and Android phones the
devastation taking place and knew that once again The Oklahoma Standard would immediately
kicked in, it’s what we do here. Blood
donations,
Photo courtesy of Nicole Harris
food, shelter, rescue workers, chain saws, shoves, rakes, pet
rescues, donations of all sorts, people in general helping one another without
race, religion, creed or politics getting in the way.This time we did have two looters who did not
understand The Oklahoma Standard.They
are now in jail.
We hugged, cried, comforted and then carried on knowing what had to be
done.Saying a prayer, shedding a tear
for those lost, those found, those who were still missing, hugging our children
and grandchildren, rolling up our sleeves and pitching in whether we know who
we are helping or not, it does not matter.
It’s going to take a long time for people to recover, but recover they
will.It’s The Oklahoma Standard. We are after all…Oklahomans!
Six years
ago we were hit with an ice storm that decimated trees here in the state of
Oklahoma. In our area we were without power for 7 days. After one day without
power and told it would be up to a week before we got hooked up to power again,
we went a bought a generator to power our house. We have not had to use it
again but it is a comfort to know that we have it just in case.
The Ole Sycamore
But I
digress…in the space of six years and two years of severe drought and looking
at a third straight year of drought, we have lost 14 trees out of our yard. In
the neighborhood, our block alone, I would say we have lost 20+ big trees.
Last week
we had our big Sycamore in the front yard taken down. It’s sad to see these
once beautiful trees die. Between ice storms, drought, fungus and parasites
it’s a wonder they even make it to full maturity.
She's down!
I remember
when our girls were small, it was a winter day and they were playing
hide-n-seek around the Sycamore. I filmed it as it was so cute.Ah the memories…
The past
couple of years the Mississippi Kites (5 of them)
Cleaning up the mess
would roost
in it.One night there was a big horned
Owl up there hooting away. In a hollowed out knot-hole a wee bird of some sort
had a nest and in another knot-hole was a wasp nest.It was home to many critters over the years.It kept the house shaded from the hot
Oklahoma summer sun and provided us a cool spot where we could sit and read in
the quiet of twilight. It provided us a limb in which to put up a rope swing
for the girls and was the west soccer goal for a quick pick-up game between the
girls and their dad.YepI’m going to miss that big old tree.
Two weeks ago Christie came in on
a Thursday afternoon in preparation for the Oklahoma City Marathon a Run 2 Remember for the Oklahoma City Memorial, to be run early Sunday
morning. That Thursday evening we went
up to the Cox Convention Center to pick up her information packet and Bib
Number 14479. It was a zoo of people picking up their packets as well, plus
people attending the Oklahoma City Barons Hockey game all in the same location.
She wanted 2 days of rest before doing a half Marathon, 13.1 miles to be exact.
Thursday night she went for a short 2 mile run then came back and started her
rest period. Friday was spent on Health
Clinics and appointments and having lunch with me and watching old movies.
We spent our time Saturday
getting our hair cut and colored. She had 2 inches trimmed off the bottom of
hers, but me...that was a different matter. I went from short to very short and
became, as my husband would say, a carrot top. I love you too honey.
Saturday night Christie drove up
to the city to have a look around and scout out parking spots. She spent some
time alone at the
The Survivor Tree
Survivor Tree in quiet reflection. The Survivor Tree is an
American Elm that withstood the full force of the blast from the bomb. Tree
experts from all over the USA came here to help it survive and survive it did.
For us it is a living symbol of resilience. We were informed that we would
have to go to bed early Saturday evening, 9:30p.m. Ugh!...as we had to be up by
4:30a.m., to be at the race line by
6:00a.m. Normally I don't go to bed
until 11p.m. or so, so going to bed at 9:30p.m. was impossible for me. I
tossed, turned, counted sheep, had visions of RV's dancing through my head and
still woke up at 2:30a.m. to which I tried to go back to sleep but to no avail.
I hate it when that happens. On went the TV and I got caught up on some of my
shows. Me thinks I record too much TV. 4:30a.m. came and up we got and
quickly pulled everything together. I made a quick breakfast of Turkey bacon by
Godshalls found at Sam’s Club, great bacon by the way, scrambled eggs with
cheese and strong coffee,wolfed it down and was out the door. We got up to the city and found a
parking spot less than a half block from the Start of the course. You could
feel the excitement in the air. Helicopters were flying overhead with their
spotlights on, lots of people on the sidewalk making their way to the runners
holding pen. We found a spot along the raceway parked our stuff and gave
Christie a hug and kiss and wished her good luck on her run. She quickly made
her way to the holding pen to get her spot. 20 minutes to go until the start.
Getting ready
With anticipation building, the air was charged with tension and the festive excitement of a major NFL or NBA championship game. Would we be able to see her as she passed by? She had purchased a bright, bright yellow runners shirt plus Red Soxs with black running pants. But that description fit a lot of people there. Lots of people were wearing Red Soxs in honor of the Boston Marathon runners. Some of the runners of that race were in Oklahoma City to complete their races or to run again. We felt honored to have them here.
Just minutes before the gun was to be fired, 168
seconds of silence, one for each victim, was observed to remember those who
were killed and three seconds was added on to remember those who perished in
Boston. Next the Star
OKC Police Cadets running in their red socks!
Spangled Banner was sung, A drum corps line began
A drum corp keeping the beat up for the runners
pounding out a rhythm to get the runners charged up that continued the whole
time runners were crossing the Starting Line. Two minutes before the start of
the race, the handicapped wheel chairs and handicapped bikes were off and
going. It was a struggle for some who were in wheel chairs as they had to
negotiate a hill first off, but they made it. 5...4...3...2...1 BANG! It
began! Thousands upon thousands of runners started the race.
The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon R2R, ranks 11th in the world for Marathons. Each year it grows larger. It helps to raise funds for the Oklahoma City Memorial and Museum and helps the many visitors and participants see first-hand what happened in Oklahoma City.
A Mallard unfazed by visitors to the Memorial
After the throng of runners were well on their way and the crowd had thinned, we
walked through the grounds of the Memorial. Even with the multiude of people
there, there was a presence of peace and tranquility. A lone male
Mr. Mallard
Mallard duck
was standing in the reflecting pool, the water perfectly still, the reflection
of the Mallard against the 9:03 wall, beautiful. No sound, just people lost in
their thoughts of what was, what could have been and what would come of this
glorious sunny Sunday morning.
Bomb sniffing police dogs
Security
was tight. If you had a backpack you were subject to search. We made sure the
bag we were carrying was of clear plastic and you could see everything in it at
a glance as the city had enforced a clear bag rule for the day. While sitting on a park bench outside the Memorial, waiting for Dave
to finish taking some pictures of the Memorial, a police officer approached me.
I of course did have a question to ask him as I was not sure of the location of
the Finish Line. Three times he asked me if I was okay to which I replied
"Yes, I'm fine, just waiting for my hubby" He smiled and proceeded on
walking his beat. He was the tallest police officer I had ever seen, at least
6'10". I’m glad he was observant.
Sun rising on the Memorial reflecting pool
Slowly
we made our way to the Finish line of the race and found spectator bleachers to
sit in. We cheered the 5K walkers who were finishing their walk when we got
there…so many to cheer on. Then slowly one by one the half marathoners started
coming by, finishing their race. More and more were coming. Looking at the
clock we still had a good hour before Christie said what she thought would be
her time, she did not miss it by much. We cheered, yelled out encouragement,
whistled, clapped, winced when the runners would stumble or throw-up, but the
roar of the crowd helped them get up and finish the race. A huge TV screen was
across from us along with a cameraman shooting the runners as they were coming
into sight of the reviewing stands. When we would see the runners they were
still 20 seconds away before we actually saw them. One of the runners was in
distress and after he passed our stand he collapsed just feet from the finish
line. He got up with the help of several volunteers and was helped off the
course. I found out later he had to have CPR performed on him before being
taken to the hospital. At this time he is home and recovering.For that we are thankful.
A little distraction, ie Mom and Dad shouting her name!
At
the 2:35:10 mark we saw Christie. She looked good, had good form and didn't
seem like she was struggling at all. Before race day the farthest she had run
was 9 miles. We yelled and shouted out her name giving her encouragement. She
heard us and smiled! She crossed at 2:35:35 but her
On track to hit her official time of 2:20:21
actual run time was
2:20:21, her overall place was 4562 out of 9015 runners running the half
marathon. Her age division place was 392 out of 925 runners. Her gender place
was 2024 out of 5522 runners. She was running a 10:34 mile. The average running
time was 2:29:13, so she was a bit better than average. I know I couldn't do
it. We are so proud of her. She raised $100.00 dollars for the Memorial. She
had hoped to raise $150.00.
Christie in front of the Survivor Tree with her medal
This
year the young adults who were babies that survived the bombing, were handing
out the medals at the end of the race. Most are in college now.
Christie with her medal
If
you have not visited the Memorial I highly suggest that you do. When you do,
you will see these words on the walls before you enter the site.
We
come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those
changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this
memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.®
East side of the Memorial
Each of us left the race knowing that we were more humbled in having been there, cheering on those runners to victory and remembering all of those who were taken too early.
