Perspective

This morning I was lounging in bed (as much as you can lounge with little ones clamoring for attention). I looked around my room at my books, scrapbooks, handmade quilts and keepsakes. I found myself reflecting on the people in Sendai, Japan, who have lost all of this and more. I thought of my kids and how they woke up in a place that is safe and dry. I thought of all the mothers who are now struggling to provide for their children. Last I heard, they couldn't get relief supplies into the area because roads and airports are destroyed. Then I thought of the mothers who can't find their children or who were unable to protect them from the devastation. It brought the disaster a little closer to home for me. Sometimes devastation is so huge that my mind just blocks it out.

My brother was in Kobe, Japan when they had the last big earthquake and over 6,000 people lost their lives. He was serving as a missionary for our church and ended up doing relief work for much of the time.

I was living in Los Cabos, Mexico when we were hit by a hurricane. My condo flooded slightly, but nothing was destroyed. Condos all around me had the windows blown out, but mine did not. I was on crutches waiting for achilles tendon surgery at the time. I felt trapped and helpless. The fear I lived through that day and night are not like anything else I've experienced. I felt like it would never stop. I can't imagine going through and seeing what the people in Sendai did. The helplessness and discouragement must be overwhelming.

David had the opportunity to go into Slidell, Louisiana after hurricane Katrina and do relief work.

picture by Matt Zmolek

Then a few weeks later we evacuated in preparation for Hurricane Rita. Like so many others, we got stuck for hours trying to get out.

At times like these, I am always amazed at the resiliency of the human spirit - of the desire that men have to rise above catastrophe and start almost immediately to make things right again. I'm also touched by how quickly people react to try and help one another and to offer aid. It reminds me that even though we live in a time of constant war, disaster, heartache and crime, there is still more good than bad in this world. We may not hear about it on the news, but it is out there.

I have a strong belief in the ability of one person to have an enormous impact on the world around them. You don't have to be a politician or a celebrity to make a difference. The little things we do every day to make life better for those around us has a ripple effect that we can't even comprehend. On a day like today, I feel inspired to make a difference in my little part of the world. I hope you feel the same.