A town in turmoil.

"Oh my God, tell me this won't last forever

Tell me that I'm not alone

Tell me this will come together

Oh my God, you know."

I grew up in the "Show Me State." Up until recently, Missouri, and specifically the city of St. Louis and its surroundings, were not what we would call a hot bed of controversy. Boy has that changed.

Being 300 miles away from my hometown, I am watching and reading the same news as others and am in amazement of how all of this has transpired. Do I know the details? Not really. I do know this is not going to end on a happy note. One child is dead, many have been wounded, and the nation is looking at what was a traditional Midwestern town a lot differently.

So how have I been kept up to date on the happenings?

My son. He is a journalist, lives in St. Louis, and is using social media to its maximum potential…as well as reporting online through his company's media channels.

The other day I was in Cleveland, OH. Another town that until recently had been rather quiet; they however had some great news and have seen what was a distraught town 4 years ago, become probably one of the proudest in the nation. All it takes is one name…"LeBron."

While I was having breakfast in Cleveland, I heard one of the customers ask the waitress if she was "going shopping in St. Louis today?" She looked at him like one would when you are 100s of miles from a city—knowing many of the same stores are available only minutes away. She said, "No why would I?" 

I immediately knew where he was going with it as there had been looting the night before. He really thought he was funny. If that was not bad enough, the waitress starts asking customers if "they were planning to go shopping in St. Louis?" Chuckles and laughs started to wave through the restaurant. Honestly, it's an old joke. You heard it about LA, Detroit, New Orleans, and any other city that has experienced civil unrest. But, when it's your town, and people are killing each other, it's not as funny. No I don't live in St. Louis, but I certainly have a connection.

If we could travel back a few days and change the course of history, the young man who died would be heading to college in just a few days, Robin Williams would have had second thoughts, and perhaps we could say goodbye to a loved one just one more time. But you can't change history, you have to move through it. Hopefully the tensions will subside, and through the rubble the truth will come out. No matter what side you are on, shaking hands and walking away are no longer an option. Unfortunately for St. Louis and its surrounding communities, the reputations are tarnished and will take time to recover—but like any city that has taken a hit, they will be back.

The photo above was taken a few years ago. The "Gateway Arch" stands on the shores of the Mississippi River—it's the largest structure in the city and represents the "gateway to the west." Let's hope in the very near future it can continue its original mission and let St. Louis and its suburbs get back to the way they were just a few short days ago.

Thanks for stopping by.