There’s something about the notion of small islands in the middle of the Pacific awaiting the onslaught of a huge storm that is horrifying. When you live in Paradise, where weather is generally more than kind, building codes are loose and houses are open.

Many houses are expected to have blown apart in this storm. I’ve somehow been focused on the image of a young mother with a baby and small children, with the urgent need to protect them and no way to do that.

One of my Swedish sisters was in the Tsunami in Thailand all those years ago. She ran back into danger to pull her child to safety. And he was a 15 year old strong boychild… Maybe it’s her stories that have me fastened on the simple horror.

And Paradise, well sort of. Apparently there are 7,000 islands in the Philippines, 2,000 of which are inhabited. Some of them have not yet recovered from a massive earthquake that happened not all that long ago.

And while when you live in the middle of the ocean, there are always storms, storms are getting worse. And we are part of that process and need to opt out, need to make things different. Climate change is creating these monster storms. And we’re part of that.

We’re connected to that mother with children in so many ways. What’s needed is for us to figure out how to be connected to that mother and mothers everywhere whose children are in danger in helpful ways… even if its being connected to mothers in your own valley whose children are unprotected.

Sorry, this is a bit meandering, I know. I seem to be having a hard time getting my passion and my clarity in the same place… But we must live with nature, acknowledging we’re part of it. Not doing so ls killing us. and worse, it’s killing other people when we pretend differently.

I’m not sure where the path to Peace is in this… but I hope we’re willing to take a look… Blessings on people caught in the storm. And let us consider how to be those blessings…