Two words noticeably absent from my blog this week are "hurricane" and "Katrina". I seem to be gaining "blog audience" daily, so if you are new to my blog -- welcome, but you are about to see a not-very-pretty side of me. Some of you know that my house flooded 3 years ago. A flood that, for Abilene, Texas, was pretty bad. 600 homes and many businesses affected. It was a big inconvenience for about 8 months. It didn't come anywhere close to Katrina. Few things in history have, evidently. I have seen very little news -- partly because of meetings and work, etc., but partly because I just can't take it on. It's just too big. Like the tsunami disaster last December. There are heartbreaking stories at every moment. To be quite honest, the main thing I feel about it is anger. I guess it's all part of my grieving over the enormity of it. I'm in the anger stage. I also feel enormously guilty for simply turning off the TV or not reading the paper to get away from it. Some people have lost their lives and some people's lives are devastated and forever altered, and I just want to turn away from it.
I have no words of wisdom, no deep insight about lessons learned, no great ideas to reach out to the devestated communities. I only know to pray. And even then, I pray that the Spirit intercede for me because I'm sure my words are inadequate.
4 comments:
Don't feel bad about your anger. That's a pretty good thing to feel about something this huge. The enormity of it is simply too much. Here in Monroe our civic center is almost overwhelmed with about 1400 refugees. They are able to eat and take showers, and are beginning to register their kids in schools. I attended a meeting for ministers at the Red Cross yesterday and we were told there will be tent cities soon. Pray for open eyes to know how to help.
dad
Tent cities....unbelievable. I just can't believe that one day people were living their life as usual, and now they are living in shelters and soon in tents. Mighty God hold your hand down so we as your children can climb in and you can direct us where to go and what to do to help others in need. May Your mighty hand comfort those who don't know you, but through your people, come to love you. Never let us forget our treasures are in heaven, not on earth.
Karen Haygood is a 6th grade student from New Orleans. She is calmly sitting in my 1st period reading class right this second listening to a story on cd with the other kids whose lives have not been torn apart by a random storm hitting the Gulf coast. She is sitting calmly--but I don't know if she feels calm. She doesn't say much. I met her for the first time today. The only time she has smiled is when I told her I was from Louisiana too. Pray for Karen Haygood. At least she is staying with family and is not one of the 12,000 in the Astrodome on cots. Or one of the hundreds outside that can't get in.
God give us all patience and generosity to deal with this disaster.
R--
It IS overwhelming. This reminds us that we really are not in control of life and that we need God's power, wisdom, and grace in our lives every day, good days and bad days and ordinary days. The quote for today on "Heartlight" (which is my home page and my favorite site on the net) is: "Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace, and your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace." I pray God's grace over those affected (directly and indirectly) by this recent tragedy.
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