Thinking of Others, and Abundance

 

I took this photo on Monday morning as the rain poured down. With the darkness, I needed a flash to avoid blurriness. At one point I looked out from my sewing room window to see huge drops of rain falling sideways in sheets. A cup of tea and a candle served to brighten up the gloom. 

In the afternoon fierce winds blew away the rain and the blue sky shone with loveliness. Many many sections of the Island were without power - one of our daughters was without for about 6 hours, the other for 10. They live close to each other and gathered at the home with a gas stove and fireplace for warmth and dinner. 

This morning the sun slanted in with such brightness, warming the living room and casting strong shadows on the fireplace mantel. 

In the light of day, more stories of the storm's devastation became apparent. The city of Vancouver, a major port, is cut off from the rest of the country - every major road and rail line has been damaged. By extension, our island is also cut off. Sections of roads fell into rivers, landslides covered other sections with debris. People were stranded between landslides and airlifted out via helicopter, abandoning their vehicles. Rivers overflowed and many, many people fled their homes and have no place to go. The effects are staggering. 

Ships waiting to unload cargo will have to remain at sea. Supply lines must be established, somehow. There are people missing and recovery operations are underway in hopes of finding them. 

The park where I took two of our grandchildren for a hot dog roast last Friday is under water and salmon swim in the very spot we picnicked. One hospital here began flooding and much of Monday was spent making contingency plans for moving patients, while simultaneously trying to restore services. In the end, no one needed to move. 

Today, we enjoyed a hearty dinner of Swedish Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Acorn Squash, and Braised Red Cabbage. As I served up Tim's plate, I thought about our own safety and abundance in contrast to the loss that so many people here are facing. My heart is heavy for them, and I will be looking for ways to help. 

Hug your loved ones. Give thanks for safety and abundance. Pray for wisdom for our leaders.