It's been quite the week. I thought I'd put Lessons from the Sea to rest and then the world was informed of the horrific tsunami in Japan. Although we're far from those shores, the tsunami advisory issued for the West Coast of North America produced a few waves of emotion in my own stomach and I realized again how unpredictable the sea, and life, can be. Although we're perched on a hill, being situated just half a kilometer from the shores of the Pacific suddenly seems too close for comfort.
We live closer to a major fault line than I like to think about. (I tried using that argument to postpone our move from Saskatchewan to Powell River but it didn't hold water. Pun intended.) Recently the province announced a designated day to "practice" emergency procedures and readiness. I think I was too busy that day to participate. Hearing of the devastation in Japan, a nation ranked as one of the most earthquake-prepared as any on the planet, I suddenly determined to find out what I had missed so that I could practice on my own. I also added bottled water to my shopping list. The adage, "never too late to learn" is comforting.
I cannot comprehend force powerful enough to move an entire island two meters and temporarily speed up the earth's rotation. I've watched the ocean destroy what man creates but never have I witnessed it to this extent. As if that isn't enough, a news alert has just flashed across my computer screen: People living in the northeastern part of Japan are being warned that another tsunami could be on its way, and are being told to move to higher ground.
"He set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings." (Psalm 40:2)
When earth crumbles round us, He never moves
