Life is a Gift

written 5-15-2008

No, I cannot imagine. Tornado, tsunami, hurricane, earthquake, volcano, flood or an act of terrorism. Hundreds of thousands of people have died in the past 8 years and here I am. Alive. My family is alive. I have not lost anyone or anything as a result of any of these disasters, except maybe a sense of security. Smaller disasters hit closer to home. Plane and car crashes, house fires, and bridge collapses. I am spared.

Today pictures and videos of a devastated China are everywhere. An earthquake has killed at least 15,000 and wounded 65,000. The count will rise in the coming days and weeks as the find those buried beneath the rubble. Hundreds of thousands are homeless. There are concerns of disease spreading and it is difficult to get necessities to areas that are now isolated due to damaged roads, etc. People are mourning the deaths of their children, families and friends and at the same time they have lost their homes and their livelihood. Everything they knew is gone. The magnitude of what has happened is behind my mind’s grasp.

I started this blog yesterday, May 14th. Today on my way to work I passed a housefire. Smoke and flames were pouring out of the upper windows. Due to noise barriers between the freeway and the residential area I could not see if there were firetrucks at the scene yet, but I’m sure the house was a complete loss.
Another family has now lost at the minimum personal possessions that cannot be replaced, their home and possibly loved ones. The feeling that swept through my body as I passed that scene would be impossible to describe. I feel the same way when I pass a car accident and I don’t know if those involved were injured or even survived. Is there someone waiting at home that will soon hear they’ve lost someone they love? I guess it’s a mixture of feelings including, sadness, compassion and pain. I even feel a sense of loss.

I can’t tell you that I don’t feel down some days. I can feel sorry for myself from time to time. Life is not always easy and don’t most people want a little less struggle and a little more joy?

Days like today are sobering to say the least. I am truly blessed. I have my family, my friends and my health. There’s nothing I truly need that I do not have. It’s easy to forget to be grateful when your needs are being met.

Enjoy who you are, who you are with and what you are doing….. Life is a gift.

5-19-08...As of yesterday the losses due to the China earthquake, though they really have no final numbers and will not for months, is heading toward 50,000 dead and 250,000 injured. The news is filled with videos, picture and stories of horror, sadness and loss. The associated press stated today "Monday was the start of an official three-day mourning period — the first in modern China for anything other than the death of a national leader". My prayers are with them.