Daily, we look out at the landscape and remember the way it used to be, we look at the way it is, and we wonder what it will be. Perhaps it is a symbol for the way we should examine our own lives, looking back at what we used to be, seeing who we are today, and thanking God that we have survived (and perhaps improved), in spite of our adversities.
Graduation is the first location in my book, Out of the Wind. It seemed a likely spot to begin the story of the tornado and its effect on the people in Joplin. Carly and Madison begin the story in the parking lot, after watching their boyfriends cross the stage. What lies ahead for the two girls is not what they had planned.