Trouble in River City...

[Amy Middleton]

...and not like the trouble in the Music Man either....this is a very different kind of "pool"! As the flood waters rise in Iowa I am reminded of the summer that my sister, Anissa, had heart surgery at the University of Iowa hospital. During her first day out of recovery a tornado hit the little college town of Iowa City, causing the semi evacuation of the hospital and panic of my parents. As their 10 year old daughter is recovering from major heart surgery, here comes this tornado...Its kind of like the old theory of hitting your thumb with a hammer to help relieve the pain of your headache. Now here we are nearly 25 years later and I am watching, with terror and panic, the lives and homes of some of the most dear people in the world wash away. Iowa is so dear to me, it was my home-away-from-home for the most formative years of my life. When I was 13years old, my parents packed us up and moved halfway across the country to this state that I thought was famous for potatoes (no kid, thats I DA HO). Even though most of the people I came into contact with at first thought I was from England ( I had a very thick Bawlmer accent -hon) they were so kind and welcoming. I instantly knew the next 5 years of my life was going to change who I was to become.

Now as I sit here in my office in a city that once was home to the underground railroad, I watch my promised land get swept away. I have and will continue to pray for my fellow hawkeyes and ask that my readers do the same.