Untouched

I have never seen a tornado a mile wide. I have never had my home demolished. I have never watched my car float away in a river of water, debris, and people. And I have never been afraid to walk down the street because the last time I did, a car bomb went off in front of me. So sometimes it is hard for me to fathom the damage done when I hear about the disasters happening every day. 


Luckily, in Oregon, we remained mostly untouched by these kinds of things. Tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, and car bombs are not things we experience often. But that shouldn't mean that we don't care about these tragedies happening to human beings in our country and our world. 

Its hard, though. How can I be as sympathetic as possible when I have never gone through it and do not understand the toll it takes? Obviously, I see the pictures, here the interviews, and for a few days, I am saddened and hurting for those people. But Japan is still picking up the pieces from their devastated country, but they no longer make the news. Haiti still hasn't recovered, but there are days I go by without thinking about them.


I don't want to be self-centered, nor do I want to dwell on these problems. But, I think it is important for us to remember that the cozy life we have is not to be taken for granted. The lack of natural disasters in my life are a gift, not the norm. And I am grateful... So very grateful.