Many of us have been glued to the internet or news stations over the past week. One week ago today, one of the most tragic natural disasters took place, and we were reading about it, watching it happen and living it vicariously for the next 48 hours.
It's the stuff movies are made out of, books are written and lives are changed. Some of the video footage was pretty graphic, and it felt like I was watching a disaster movie instead of real life. I guess they have been getting the disaster movies pretty close to the real thing - only I'm sure those that were living in it didn't think so.
It was ironic that one of the pieces we were critiquing in my critique group had a similar description in it. I teased her that she'd planned on that chapter right at that time on purpose, but it was a empty and silly joke. Empty because it really isn't compassionate to laugh at someone else's expense, is it?
It reminds me of the stories that came out of Haiti and Chili, and the mining accident. I love these stories. They are tales of courage and determination, valor and heroism. I have admired the Japanese and the way they have been handling the crisis - with apparent dignity and calm. There's no shot of a mad man running at the cameras, insisting he fly them out, or give them food. They are methodically searching for survivors and the dead, hoping to find everyone that's missing.
There was an uplifting tale of a four month old baby found in the wreckage of a home, with the parents overjoyed that she'd survived. The sad story of a woman who'd had her child sucked from her hand as they'd ran. Both joy and grief fill the wires and all we have to do is switch it on or off and our lives remain much the same.
It's similar to a book, isn't it? We can choose to open it and read or leave it closed and take it into our lives or not. As a writer, we decide if we are going to write to change the world or just bring joy.
My heart goes out to those who are suffering in these tragedies and are in need of comfort. My thoughts go out to those who are struggling here at home, some of our bloggers have had tragedy trike here. It doesn't have to be a natural disaster to bring sadness and trial. But we can all deal with it the same way, turning to our Savior, our family and friends.
Take care everyone. Keep writing.
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