Last night we got walloped by storms.

We were all snuggled still in our beds when the wind began to roar like a freight train and the hail (did I mention there was hail) descended upon us like apples in an angry orchard. 

The dog whimpered. 

The cats whimpered. 

The kids… well, the kids slept through it. 
Seriously. 

So, my husband and I felt it was our duty to do their worrying for them. 

We worried about trees falling.
They didn’t, although hubby spent a good chunk of this evening on the roof with a chainsaw, dispatching of various limbs.

We worried about the windows blowing in.
They didn’t, although all the old ones leaked.

We worried about our makeshift outdoor kitchen coming crashing down around us.
It didn’t, although a number of boxes of tea (including my most favorite licorice) have devolved into soggy matter.

We worried about the power going out.
It did.

And then, this morning, things dried out a bit and the lights came on and neighbors pulled branches out of the street.
We got the kids to school. 
The pets curled up on various beds to sleep, a little muddy but none the worse for wear.
It was over.

Meanwhile, the aftershocks of the quake in China and the cyclone in Myanmar continue to reverberate.

Wildlife has been decimated, villages destroyed, infrastructures fractured.
Everyone is short on food, shelter and clean water. 
Many, many (tens of thousands, and probably well over 100,000) people are dead.

So much for our worries. 
It’s all a matter of perspective.

So today, we sit here soggy but safe, thinking about Myanmar and China and all the many places in the world in need of milk, medicines and a little hope. 

Do what you can, friends.

Be the change…

Mercy Corps

The American Red Cross 

Tzu Chi Foundation