A Moment in History

I often muse how my children can be forces of nature.  I comment on how they are tornadoes or whirlwinds that destroy rooms in a matter of seconds.  Then something happens and I am reminded that my own little palace is so miniscule in comparison to the rest of God's green earth. 

Sometimes events occur, totally out of control, with no time to prepare, and I am blindsided by something that rocks my world.  These catastrophes come, maybe not affecting myself physically, but they do shake the walls of my little palace, for there is more outside these walls.  I have friends on the outside, and when I hear of disasters that affect them, they affect me.  Two days ago, Friday, March 11, one such devastating blow came, unexpectedly, in the form of an earthquake off the coast of Japan.

The magnitude of this earth wrenching quake was 8.9.  Hundreds of people died.  Countless others were missing, and a multitude watched and trembled as their homes fell to the ground like a deck of cards.  The world watched and waited in silence, horrified by the videos and pictures plastered on the news and on the internet.  The earth continued to hiccup for quite some time, with many aftershocks registering at higher than 6.0 on the Richter Scale.  And the earth's groaning was still not complete.

So great were these pains that a 23 foot Tsunami wave tore into the country.  As if this weren't enough, the waves stretched outward into the Pacific Ocean and on towards the Philippines, Hawaii, countless other islands, and even so far as the western coast of the American continents.  The repercussions of the ground ripping apart continued for hours before the earth was quieted and still once more.

An earthquake comes with little or no warning, and once the rumbling begins, there is almost nothing to do but hold on and pray.  The people of Japan are aware of the dangers of such occurrences and have done all they can to minimize the destruction caused by this battle of tectonic plates.  Situated in the area known as the "Ring of Fire," Japan has the reputation of being the country that is probably most prepared for an earthquake such as this, and though many lives were lost, it could have been much, much worse.

 At least with the tsunamis, people in the rest of the Pacific had warning to get to higher ground and because of this, many lives were saved.  They were given a time table of when to expect the waves.  They knew, in most cases, where to go for safety and were able to get there in time.

It made me stop and think.  We may not always be given advanced notice for the devastation that may reach us.  Once it hits, there may be nothing we can do but hold on to our hats and pray.  But in the mean time, we must be aware of the probability that unexpected things will happen to us.  There are things we can do to prepare ourselves for the impact so that we can survive, maybe not unscathed, and maybe even badly bruised, but we can come out the other side.  Daily choices that that we make, sometimes without thought, can greatly impact the way we weather the storm that may not even yet be on the horizon.

Sometimes we are blessed with the advanced warning of what is to come.  And we should take advantage of that warning and respect the danger that is to come.  Instead of just sitting there worrying, we need to prepare.  We need to get our things in order now, while there is time, and decide what is most important to us.  What can we carry with us?  What is the most valuable? 

For me, it's my family.  It's my friends.  It's the relationships I have developed with people over the years.  I want to take them with me.  When hard times come and we struggle, sometimes I have to remember that the storm is the enemy, not them.  They are there with me, and it's up to all of us to hold on to one another and help each other to get to higher ground, to safety.

The full extent of the damage has not yet been felt.  The earthquake still takes its toll in Japan.  The effects of the tsunami the Philippines, Hawaii, California, and other areas are still being evaluated.  I was not there.  I cannot feel the pain and devastation as much as someone who was there.  I merely watched along with the rest of the world, eyes welling up and anxious for the many friends I have made in all these countries.  I got down on my knees and prayed, hoping, and waiting for word from any of these dear souls I have had the honor of getting to know.  Thankfully, I heard from most of them.  I continue to pray for the rest.