The What and How of Why

Yesterday's quake in Japan caught me and Andy by surprise. A few hours earlier, we had heard Dolly was being downgraded as it approached Texas, which was a great relief, but that news was followed by reports of devastation overseas, and we immediately thought of China and Myanmar.

As of today, 200 people have been injured in Japan; however, there have been no deaths reported, which is quite a blessing. The quake was rated a 6.8, and apparently even Tokyo felt it.

Meanwhile, in Texas, the damage was not as bad as had been feared. Hundreds of thousands are without power as relief efforts continue, and disaster funds are being okayed for 15 counties. Mexico was hit as well, and then had to face Tropical Storm Genevieve directly afterward, leading to at least eight deaths by drowning.

Earthquake relief continues in China as new housing is provided for a small percentage of the 4.8 million people left homeless, and donations are still being collected in support of the massive recovery process required.

Unfortunately, the exchange system in Myanmar has drastically reduced the value and impact of foreign donations, leaving 2.4 million people affected by the storms with inadequate aid in the wake of so much damage. The U.N. is attempting to work with the government to improve the situation and ensure the intended donations reach their recipients at full value.

I share all this for multiple reasons: Maybe you were hoping to add a few people or places to your prayers. Maybe you actually find yourself with some cash to spare in the midst of our economic crisis and you weren't sure what to do with it. Maybe hearing about these things will help shed light on a bad day or make a few concerns feel smaller and less pressing.

Advocacy comes in many forms, as does assistance, compassion, and encouragement. However you choose to proceed today, may you encounter peace and safety.

8 months

In our household, we've all been following the news regarding the earthquake in China and subsequent rescue efforts. Each day seems to bring new stories of tragedy and ever-higher numbers of those thought missing or confirmed dead.

I heard a report this afternoon that made me cry. A 34 year-old woman was rescued after being trapped for 50 hours. She is 8 months pregnant. Her rescue is somewhat miraculous, but what caught me was thinking about two women in my life who are due in June - at a very similar point in their pregnancies - my sister, Lydia, and my friend, Noelle.

Each of these women is very important to me, and I couldn't help but think what it might be like if they had been similarly trapped and thought lost. It brought home how heartbreaking this story was... and, although it had a positive ending, how many more will suffer different fates and how many survivors will be affected by the aftermath of this event.

I'm not sure what is ulatimately more productive when we process these major natural disasters and large-scale events affecting thousands of people. I think the stories of hope and salvation within the midst of so much sadness are wonderful and necessary, but I also can't help to think that, for every person saved, there are so many more who will not be.

I don't know if that's defeatist or pessimistic or unproductive. I know perspective and the way we look at and focus on things is very important... and I certainly don't want to minimize or make light of happy and successful efforts.

But I do think there is danger in forgetting about the immense level of suffering brought about when disasters happen. And, perhaps most importantly, to use each difficulty as a way of moving forward, improving our local, national, and global strategies, and redefining the ways in which we respond to crisis. We've had a lot of crises already this year... and there are likely more to come.

So how do we respond? What preventative measures are being taken? And, on a very personal level, what steps will I take to try to create positive change and a useful response? Perhaps it's to establish a more sustainable way of living and to share our successes and failures so that we can evolve within a larger community. Maybe it's to create a safe space and ensure it's large enough to take in others if needed... to feel we food we can share, shelter to offer, and can do so without hesitation.

We shall see. I think Andy and I are in the midst of a transformation of sorts, one that is connected to a larger spiritual purpose and a sense of meaning in our lives. In the meantime, I am very grateful today that my two mommies-to-be are safe and healthy... and I deeply pray for the safety and peace of those abroad.

2012 and beyond...

Today held an alarming number of stories about natural disasters across the United States and in other countries. Wildfires in Florida, a sinkhole in Washington, D.C., tornadoes in Missouri and Oklahoma, an earthquake in China, volcano activity, and - of course - the cyclone in Myanmar.

I'm not sure where you sit on the whole greenhouse/2012/sea level rise thing. Andy and I tend to be a little worried about it and spend a lot of time debating whether or not we wish to make safety from natural disasters, potential pole shifts, and/or a crash in the economy a priority when plotting our next steps.

Although I don't fully buy into the prophecies of Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, and the like... it is somewhat higher than coincidental those two men and the Mayan calendar all put the world falling apart around the same time. I suppose I buy into it enough to be vaguely concerned and to begin to think about things like paring down on my possessions, living a more sustainable lifestyle, and wanting to build or buy a green home of some kind in a relatively safe area.

Be it driven by external concerns or an internal call to a more peaceful and simple life, Andy and I both have noticed a pull and shift toward a new type of living. I see it as a blend of spiritual needs and practical considerations... something seeking to balance the ascetic qualities of monasticism, the theories of detachment so prevalent in Buddhist philosophy, the social action and humanist commitment of Unitarian Universalism, and the social interest of Adler.

It all seems to coalesce and make sense on some days. I would love to know where the end is, which I think is one of the greatest lessons I've yet to learn: process before content, means rather than end, the journey above the destination.

And so, it is not so important to know where I will end up as it is to know how I want to get there. To ensure authenticity and compassion en route. To follow dreams and strive toward improvement and seek out positive change in the best way I know how.

Some days, the fear and sadness feels a bit more prevelant, but most of the time I simply wish I could do more to help those affected by these many disasters... and I pray the whisperings of darkness to come are simply the anxious worries of mistaken sayers seeking to make sense of the complexity and confusion that may inevitably arise as we move through life.

qUaKe

We had an earthquake this morning around 4:36am. The epicenter was apparently in West Salem, IL, but we got the effects, and also experienced some aftershocks around 10:14am. Initially they gave it a 5.4, but it was downgraded to a 5.2 later in the day.

I don't know that I would have woken up had it not been for Andy repeatedly saying, "It's an earthquake..." with increasing intensity. It felt to me like the sleeper car I rode between Italy and France during my post-graduation Europe trip in 1995 with my friend, Betsy. Calming, peaceful... I was happily rocking more deeply into sleep having been awokened several times already by a restless Ariana.

Apparently, we did not do what FEMA recommends for such a disaster. We did not stay in the bed, we did not lie down on the floor and cover ourselves. We did not hold on to anything. Thinking back into the haze of my half-wakefulness, I imagine we were somewhat panicky as we tried to assess how severe it was while checking on Ariana and trying to decide if we should wake her or not... meanwhile scrambling through our rusty and tired brains for some scrap of remembered information about what to do during an earthquake.

(It is not to stand in a doorway on the 2nd floor looking at your daughter in her crib, as I did, nor to go down to the 1st floor to watch the news and then to the basement to check on the already-cracked structural beam with a temporary fix fashioned with MacGyver-like brilliance and utility, as Andy did. Just FYI.)

What does 5.2 on the Richter scale feel like? I thought it felt like a train... my friend Dean thought it felt like dogs jumping around on his bed; my friend Becky Chambers thought it felt like a tornado (shaking and very strong train sound); Andy thought it felt like me jiggling my foot really vigorously under the covers. When you are standing up, and not in bed, it feels reminiscent of a very large truck lumbering down the road, making the whole house bounce around a bit (which is exactly how my sister-in-law, Nikki, described her own experience).

Luckily, as of nearly 12 hours later, there are still no injuries or deaths. Some damage and a lot of surprised and slightly rattled Midwesterners, but it could have been much, much worse. I am very grateful it is more of an anedote than a tragedy, and I hope the predictions of impending disaster from future quakes in this area are all for naught.