On Blogging

I can't believe it's been two weeks since I last posted to my blog. I always have lots to say, but with the busyness of the days, it seems like I don't have much time to say it.

There's always so much going on in the world around us. It leaves one wondering where to begin.

For now, my focus is on those suffering losses due to the series of narutal disasters around the world. With the US still trying to emerge from the floodwaters of Katrina and then the hits from Rita, my focus next went to Stan's punch on El Salvador and then the 5.5 earthquake that hit El Salvador, as they say in Spanish, "en seguida." Not fully comprehending the needs there in light of the floods and quakes, I heard the news of the 7.6 quake that hit India and Pakistan. The news clip I heard reported that 200 schoolchildren (all girls, I believe) had died from the quake. And reportedly, those were but the beginning of thousands of deaths expected there.

The power and violence of nature, especially with these recent natural disasters, can seem overwhelming. In many ways, they hit with a power much like a "sucker punch" to the stomach. One can wonder what the purpose of such violent expressions of nature. It's hard to grasp at times and easily we can blame the power of nature. I think, however, we have to take responsibility for our care for the natural environment and how our lack of care contributes to nature's outbursts. That's not the end of the story either. The real lesson that keeps speaking to me is the call to see how good we can be -- and remain -- to our fellow humanity in these times of need, in the face of disasters, and how we respond to the call to conversion of our heart, mind, and spirit.

The test posed by these natural forces is not really the trials faced by those who suffer nature's forces but the challenge set before us who are in a position to respond to their needs.

The question before me is: How do I respond?