Their Faces Say Everything...

 

Hi!

So this is the time of year when winter starts feeling long.

Where we live, days are still very short. Right now, today, the sun rose at 8:31am and will set at 6:18pm.

So, I think, because of this, I find myself sifting through pictures of long days and slow-motion sunsets. 

The groundhog did his thing, pointing out the obvious. Yes, we will have 6 more weeks of winter... if we're very lucky, it will ONLY be 6 weeks. 

We are likely in for a few more dips into a deep freeze, you know, the kind, where it hurts to breathe outside. Even more likely, a few more snow dumps. Chances are, there will be some freezing rain and horrible winds sprinkled in for a bit of variety. 

But, and it's a big but... 

We live where tornados happen, but they are smaller, and not nearly as prevalent as they are in other parts of the world. 

We live where hurricanes don't happen at all. 

We live, and are randomly fortunate to do so,  where devastating earthquakes just don't exist. 

It seems that every place on earth has its own positives and negatives. Its own pros and cons for living there. 

Some reasons are human-controlled, like a particular country's quality of life, including healthcare policies, the way it governs, and the respect with which it treats all of its citizens... all of them. 

Some reasons are purely natural. The mountain ranges, the rain forests, the snowfall, the rainfall, or the lack of either of those. The tropical breezes, the blizzards, and everything in between. The earthquakes that can be barely felt, and those that completely destroy entire families, neighbourhoods, and cities. 

The changing climate has put a finger on the scale.

Tornadoes are getting bigger and stronger, as are hurricanes and snowstorms. Wildfires are getting worse. And all of these things are happening more often, and in places they didn't use to. 

I will be the first to acknowledge that I have no idea if earthquakes are affected by climate change. I'm going to do some reading, but as I write this, I simply don't know.

The horrendous devastation of the people of Turkey is heartbreaking. 

Watching the rescue workers pull living people, actual survivors, including a 10-day-old baby from the rubble, days after the quake happened, is incredible. 

The loss of thousands of lives, and the destruction of the brick and mortar buildings are crushing. To watch the families and friends of the lost stand by, waiting for closure, their hope diminishing with every passing hour, is so incredibly sad. Their faces say everything. 

It's encouraging to see rescue teams from all over the world drop everything and run to help. 

We are still capable of real humanity... when we want to be.

I guess my question is... why don't we want to a lot more often. 

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May every piece of news that comes down the pike depict the best of what humanity has to offer.

May we be overwhelmed with events that have everyone laughing, leaving no one to suffer. 

May we be better to each other, to our surroundings, to ourselves.