This past week was a combination of a national tragedy of epic proportions, and a personal stress out that could have been an epic fail.
We start with the earthquake and tsunami in japan. I'm heartbroken and I ache for those that are grieving, I pray for those that have lost loved ones, I cry for those that are lost and gone. But the worst for me, was seeing my 3 year old watch a news segment regarding one of their Shinkansen bullet train disappearances. His little mind raced when he heard the words that the train was gone.
"OH NO!! Mama! What happened?"
What could I say? What I did say was "It's OK honey, they just lost a train but they'll find it, don't worry." Knowing all the while that they probably wouldn't. It tore me up to the point that I asked that we don't watch TV while the kids are awake. He's too young to fathom the great catastrophe of it all. And he's sensitive to loss. I searched my own heart for my silver lining in this mess, and all I could come up with was my two little boys.
My husband says that it's eminent that we too will suffer a great earthquake soon, that the earth's plates are shifting and pressure is mounting, so we need to be prepared. So I suppose being prepared is better than freaking out and worrying till it finally happens.
And I find myself looking toward a more spiritual answer to all this tragedy, and wonder if this is just the way the world is evolving. Not so much about God and us being punished, because I do not believe that is what is going on. More that the maybe the Mayans might have had a clue? Or maybe it's all coincidence. All this also makes me wonder who's going to break out the Nostradamus quatrains and see where he predicted all this.
I am praying for the people in Japan. I am praying for a world at peace, I doubt I will get those prayers answered, but I can still hope for the best. I don't want to imagine the fear, desolation, sadness and desperation these people are feeling, but my heart goes out to them. I hope they recover soon.
As for the personal stress that could have been an epic fail, apparently there was a grave miss-communication from a supervisor to my husband on Wednesday, where he was informed by phone that he was being put on "administrative leave". While we scrambled to come up with a plan B because we thought this was the end of his job, we were able to work together, keep our spirits up and our thoughts clear from negativity and defeatism. We got the call Friday that it was merely to give him a "personal day" because they were aware of him dealing with some stressful issues at work and were offering him some resources. He was also informed that the way he was informed initially was not handled appropriately. YOU THINK? I am glad we were able to stick together as a husband and wife team, but if you're trying to alleviate an employee's stress, making him think he's gonna lose his job IS NOT THE WAY TO DO IT. I'm grateful this wasn't the case and we're back to our normal routine, but we're working on backup. JUST IN CASE. You know, being prepared.
That being said, my final thought are basic. Cherish what you have and nurture it, you never know when it's going to be gone.
