Dinosaur With Headphones

So the tornado that hit the South basically destroyed my brother's town, save for my brother's street. A block away from him his friend/co-worker was killed and his wife is in a coma. Their two kids whom they were protecting are unscathed (physically, that is). Apparently my brother is pretty shaken up... which is saying a lot, because he is not emotional. My mother said, "Thank God!" that his family was spared, and I wasn't really sure how to respond to that. It's a lot more complex than "Thank God" but at the same time, it's an expression and what human capable of feeling wouldn't feel grateful that their loved one is the one that escaped a tragedy.

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In other more encouraging news, a church is North Carolina is suing the state for breach of religious freedom because currently in North Carolina it is illegal for same-sex couples to get married. The church is saying that this ban on gay marriage infringes on its religious rights to legally wed same-sex couples. It's not every day you see a positive story about a church in the news, and it's a pretty ingenious way to battle discrimination.

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Today was filled with green, lush rolling hills, Queen, Van Morrison, the incomparable Hank Williams, Bruce Springsteen and many others. Anyway, no more stories for today. Here's a picture I took on a much-needed bike ride that made me smile.

"Your smile girl, brings the mornin' light to my eyes,
lifts away the blues when I rise.
I hope that you're coming to stay.

I'm waitin', waitin' on a sunny day.
Gonna chase the clouds away...
waitin' on a sunny day."