All Tied Up

This is a post about the recent Japan earthquakes, tsunami, and recovery efforts since then.  If you're tired of hearing about them then quit reading HERE.  Quit watching the news too, it's being hyped up.






OK, now that that's out of the way.

Here's the deal, I'm not real sure what to do or think.  I'm not one to worry; in fact it takes quite a bit to shake me up in an emergency.  My husband is the same way.  Our family teases us because we tend to be so laid back that at times it seems an act of God is required to get us moving.  So I really haven't been all that worried about the current situation in Japan.  Not that I'm not concerned, it's just that I haven't been losing sleep over it.  We live in an area that has been relatively untouched, or at least undamaged, by the natural disasters of last week and the ongoing aftershocks.  The biggest issue physically has been the non-stop aftershocks that people here are still feeling.  Even that though hasn't really affected our family because we live low enough to the ground that we haven't felt most of them.  This is a huge blessing since I get motion sickness if I ride in a car for 30 minutes.  4 days of swaying would cause me to puke.  A lot.

Unfortunately people are stupid.  Or rather, people aren't stupid but they do stupid things and make stupid choices.  Case in point: on MONDAY the Commissary had a run on water, batteries, and flashlights.  Dude, nothing changed between Saturday and Monday that would necessitate everyone suddenly stocking up on water.  And you should always have a flashlight, period.  Note that the base wasn't actually OUT of water, they just had empty water shelves for a few hours since people bombarded the Commissary.  This base has enough supplies to get us through a lot more than a day or two's shortage of water.  That's the military's job - BE PREPARED.  It's like the Boy Scouts on steroids.

It's also the military's job to prevent their service members, families, etc. from panicking.  So far I've been relatively impressed with the speed in which our Command has relayed information.  I think they've done a pretty good job of getting information out to the base community in an effort to dispel rumors and put minds at ease.  I know it's helped me.

However, I also know that when in a position of leadership, it's never wise to state that a problem exists unless you're prepared with a solution.  This is where I'm kindof stuck.  I would be lying if I said I was confident the military is sharing ALL the information with us.  I AM confident they will take care of us and I guess that's really the bottom line; it's just a bit disconcerting to hear so many rumors fly and really not be able to do anything about them.

So I guess here's the bottom line:  We're doing our best to stay calm and objective while we prepare mentally and physically for possible sudden changes.  God is good and I know He takes care of us all, whether it's in the way we wish or not.  Please continue to pray for the health and safety of the people of Japan, but please also pray for level heads and peace in all our hearts.  I think that peace alone would go a long way toward dispelling some of the challenges that have arisen since Saturday.