: the ability to become strong, healthy, or successful again after something bad happens
: the ability of something to return to its original shape after it has been pulled, stretched, pressed, bent, etc.
I am a born and raised Oklahoman. I grew up in a suburb of Oklahoma City, called Moore.
On April 19th, 1995, Timothy McVeigh drove up to the Alfred P. Murrah Building in a Ryder truck, parked it in front of the building, and watched as his truck bomb blew up an entire side of the building. 168 people perished due to one man's decision that he did not like the federal government.
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However, I don't think he expected what happened next.
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| People praying by the survivor tree a year after the bombing. Photo taken by my mom. |
Oklahomans banded together. Neighbors helped neighbors. Instead of being angry at him, people who lost their children, their parents, their grandparents, their loved ones forgave him.
And what do you know, Oklahoma City rose from the ashes and became a stronger, resilient place. The city boomed. I watched as my suburb went from a sleepy town to a city full of shopping and entertainment and a population of 50,000 people.
And then I watched as a tornado destroyed my hometown in 1999.
And I watched again as my city rebuilt and grew even stronger. Once again, neighbors showed up out of nowhere and helped find survivors. They helped neighbors look through their things. People helped anyway they could.
And I watched again as another tornado destroyed my hometown in 2013.
And I watched again as my neighbors and I worked together to help people rebuilt, and we grew stronger once again.
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My hometown has shown me how to be resilient. Bad things happen everywhere, but you can learn from the situation, or you can be angry about the situation and not grow. Oklahoma City is a true definition of the saying, "Fall down seven times, stand up eight."
Today, we remember the 168 victims of the Oklahoma City Bombing. We will never forget.
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