As I send out my
prayers and love to all people who face the wrath of Hurricane Matthew, a
thought occurred to me that is in some way comforting. I ask all who read this
to put things into perspective and please read to the end for the full message.
Natural disasters and the associated damage and death tolls have been a fact of
life since the beginning of time. When we watch the news we forget this reality
because devastation and fear mongering sells. Because it is happening NOW in
our lifetime, we realize it could happen to us. We don’t like knowing we are
vulnerable and one day we will die somehow, some way.
We forget that we
are also SURVIVORS. We get up each morning in spite of it all as we have for
millenia. We grieve. We restore. We move on.
YES it is sad that
one precious life is cut short – someone’s mother or sister or child. AND what
is the best thing we can do to honor those lost lives? I say it is to LIVE each
day to the fullest – days they might have wished they could enjoy. Revere the
rising and setting sun, the trees, the lakes, the oceans. Glory in the gentle
breeze against your skin. Go out and jump in puddles in the middle of a
rainstorm. Play, dance, sing, create, and have hope like it’s going out of
style! Savor the wholesome variety of foods that are available to you each and
every day. Be thankful for the home that shelters you as best it can and the
clothing that protects you from the elements. Appreciate the wild creatures who
grace our planet and the domestic furred friends who add so much joy and
pleasure to your days. Above all, offer gratitude for the life you have been
given, CHERISH those who walk beside you, and let’s work TOGETHER to care for
and preserve OUR Mother Earth for generations to come. We don’t have total
control, and there IS A LOT WE CAN DO!
As you listen to the
tallies of today’s damage and loss and any that occurs in the future, realize
how our populations have grown exponentially through the centuries. Imagine
how devastating it was to lose 50,000 people in 365CE when there were far
fewer people on the earth. Here is just a fraction of what has occurred since
then, not to mention deaths that occurred in wars and hate crimes:
January 12, 2010 - A powerful earthquake destroyed much of
Haiti and killed over 200,000 people.
1887 - The Huang Ho River flooded and killed 900,000.
August 26, 1883 - The island volcano Krakatoa, Indonesia
erupted and killed 36,000.
October 5, 1864 - Calcutta, India denuded by a cyclone that
killed 70,000.
November 1, 1755 - An earthquake in Lisbon, Portugal killed
70,000. Resulting heavy damage from ensuing fires and tsunami flooding in
Morocco killed nearly 250,000 people.
March 11, 1669 - Mt. Etna, Sicily erupted killing 15,000. On
March 25 it erupted again destroying Nicolosi and killing 20,000 more.
Feb 2 1556 - Worst earthquake in history Shangxi Province,
China killing 830,000.
July 21, 365 CE - An earthquake leveled the Egyptian Port of
Alexandria killing an estimated 50,000 people.
Please don’t buy what the fear-mongers are selling. You’ve
been given a precious life and other precious lives to go with you on the
journey. You have the choice to spend your gift wisely with love and joy as
your focus OR to sit under a dark cloud of worry about things out of your
control. I wish you peace and beauty and love, Robin
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