May 24, 2019 Issue, Page 4 of 14

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Opinion ewer “ElkCity Serving Western Oklahoma Since 1901 evere weather By Don Munsch Editor ‘The tornadoes and tor- nado warnings that came through the area the other day and the subsequent school and business clos- ings on Monday reminded ba \ me of another storm Munsch system I experienced years ago. A different kind of storm, one that caused substantial dam- py past, and keeps you from moving forward. Instead of age and death. spending your energy blam- Hurricane Ike hit the Texas Gulf Coast in 2008 while I was ing others for your difficul- living outside Houston. Ike hit the area over the weekend, ties, wouldn’t it make more and the town where I lived turned into a ghost town on Fri- Glynda Lomax is a Chris- blame someone else than sense to spend that energy tian author and podcaster to deal with the problem at doing something to overcome day. Reminded me of Monday when I drove around Elk City who resides in the Ozark hand. Blaming makes us feel them? Blame accomplishes and Sayre to find them nearly empty. Mountains of Northern Arkan- someone else should be doing nothing. In 2008, Ilived in Rosenberg, located in Fort Bend County, sas with her two very bossy the work to fix what is wrong, each All we can really do is love dogs. She wrote her first About relieving us of any responsi- other in spite of our im- the second county north of the coast. We didn’t bear the perfections and forgive each brunt ofthe storm. Life... column in 2003 fora bility. other in spite of our failings newspaper in Dallas.She is How often we forget that But it was hard to know how to prepare for a storm like planning her next book. parents, and people we are in because long as one thing is sure: as we are human, we will Glynda Lomax that. Because of my newspaper job, I needed to stick around relationship with in general, fall short again. The parents the area and be ready to report after Ike blew through. The cannot give us what they do will fall short and the children enough to go through the pain television news people advised local residents to “shelter in “If Thad my child to raise not have to give. How often will also fall short. once without reliving it over all over again, I'd build self- we forget that being human, You cannot change one and over in your mind? place” and “hunker down” as Ike moved closer to making esteem first, and the house parents will always make iota of your past. You cannot As you struggle with the landfall. later. 'd finger-paint more, mistakes, just as children demands of work, family, I went to bed the night Ike was making landfall and and point the finger less. will. They don’t always make change or didn’t whatever happened happen to you then relationships, friends, school wondered what would happen. I recall the whooshing wind Iwould do less correcting the right choice. Usually they and you will never be able or just trying to have a life, and more connecting. I'd take don’t even realize until years to make another person pay remember that parents are throughout the night - it was kinda hard to sleep, as you my eyes off my watch, and later they did anything wrong enough for the pain you suf- just people trying to live, too, might guess - and my power eventually going out, but Iseem watch with my eyes. I'd take or fell short. If you are a par- fered then. Trying to only and being human, they’re to remember it coming back on soon after. more hikes and fly more kites. ent yourself, you will know saps joy from the happiness not perfect either. There are I'd stop playing serious, that feeling in years to come. you could be enjoying now. The next morning, I went out and surveyed the damage and seriously play. I would At the time, you think youre No revenge will repair a no perfect parents and there around town. Lots of down trees and limbs. We escaped ma- are no perfect children, so run through more fields and doing all the right things, broken heart, give you back when you remember the past, jor damage. Life returned to “normal” fairly soon for those of gaze at more stars, I'd do but later you realize looking the innocence lost in your remember that some day your us who missed Ike’s wrath. more hugging and less tug- back you made alot of wrong childhood, or heal your soul children will also remember ging.” choices. I don’t know a single and take away the memories There exists one major similarity between hurricanes parent who does not feel they that haunt you. theirs. and tornadoes: A fear of the unknown. I watched a good ~ Diane Loomans, from “If made a mistake or wrong The only person you can Yesterday is finished. The line has been drawn and a pe- deal of television coverage of Monday’s tornado outbreak I Had My Child To Raise Over choice somewhere in the ever truly change is you. and wondered whether one would hit here somewhere. For Again” process after their children Change your focus and redi- riod placed at the end ofit. It were raised. rect your energies and you is no more. Today is already hours, you watch and wait. My safe room in my domicile is It seems every time we Whatever you have been will get a better result. You rushing past you. Tomor- the bathroom. turn around we hear some- through, whatever you have cannot change the past, but row remains open and full of one blaming their parents suffered, who you can blame you can decide your future promise. Of course, there are differences between the two major storms. With a hurricane, you have several days of advance for this or that, blaming how does not change where you will not be filled with tortured Someone else may have they are or whatever prob- are now. That does not mean thoughts of your past pain. written your past, but you get warning and notice and can make preparations sooner, in- Jem they have now on some they are not guilty, but that None of us has had a perfect to write your future. cluding evacuating. With tornadoes, you might have a day or part of how they were raised fact does not relieve you of life. Everyone has a story to so to prepare, or sometimes not even that, as they can strike or something that happened the responsibility you have tell and could find a reason to “Lam never a failure until to them in childhood. Itis to find your own happiness. lay around and wallow in self begin blaming others”. - in an instant. always more convenient to Blaming ties you to an unhap- pity if they wanted to, Isn’t it Unknown Forecasters can say tornadoes could form or might form in advance, but their severity, based on the Fujita scale, would be determined after the tornado has caused its damage. With ahurricane, you know it’s coming based on sophisticated tracking, such as satellites, and then the storm severity — OU Community breathes sigh of based on the Saffir-Simpson scale, from category 1 through 5 —becomes the main question as it makes landfall. Ike was a Category 4 storm. relief after Harroz appointment Tornadoes are a fact of life here. You get used to the The Norman Transcript, has 15 months to stabilize full-time gig. A man with ex- who has accused David Boren threat, but that doesn’t mean you like it very much. Okla. a university that’s now had perience in national politics, of sexual misconduct. Har- three presidents in the span the private sector and higher roz, who worked for Boren "It’s like a burden has been of 12 months after having one education, Harroz is someone in Washington D.C. and for lifted from my shoulders,” Have a letter to one member of the OU faculty for a quarter of a century. He certainly seems like the man well-known and well-liked at OU. The descendant of an more than a decade at OU, would normally be part ofa told a Transcript reporter last to do the job, and we applaud immigrant from Lebanon, he review process for OU’s ongo- week. the editor? Email ‘That’s how the OU com- the regents for making the right choice, even if it was 10 has an excellent opportunity to turn OU back in the right ing Title IX investigation into the matter. Harroz has said munity widely feels -- at least, months too late. In his first direction by putting students he will not be involved in the based on public and private it to editor@ comments -- with the appoint- day, Harroz met with faculty and staff and demonstrated first allowing faculty and staff to focus on education process, but there’s certainly an appearance of a conflict of ment of Joseph Harroz Jr. as warmth and the ability to con- and research, rather than interest. The university and the interim president of the ecdailynews.com University of Oklahoma. The nect with members of the OU community, and ability his when the next shoe is going to drop. Newer members of his Harroz will have to commit to being transparent and open former OU College of Law predecessor never seemed to administration like Dr. David about the Title IX process, Dean was a finalist during the develop. Surratt are already establish- and OU has been anything or stop by 206 W. presidential search last year, While OU will conduct a ing themselves as student but open about it’s Title IX. when the OU board of regents national search for anew advocates and dedicated processes. selected energy executive Broadway, Elk City. James Gallogly. president, it definitely feels like Harroz has an excellent educators. There is one glaring con- We're excited to see what Harroz can do, both in the Less than a year later, opportunity to establish him- cern about his appointment, interim and potentially in the Gallogly is out, and Harroz self as the frontrunner for the one pointed out by Jess Eddy, long-term, at OU. It feels like