Disasters

Three events in the past week have reminded me how quickly lives can be drastically changed and how unimportant that "things" really are in this world. Late Monday afternoon, we received a phone call that my cousin, Mike, had been in a serious work accident. He had been pinned suddenly by a 2 ton machine at work. He was in surgery and they did not know if he would survive. This started my week. Along with this we all have seen images of the massive destruction of places in the northeast from Superstorm Sandy. On Saturday, Mary and I were driving around looking at some nearby hiking locations around where she attends college. The day was rainy and since we were close to West Liberty we decided to go check the little town out. What we found there was overwhelming. They had a tornado go through their downtown area in March of this year. There is nothing left of what used to be a typically, quaint small town. Even 7 months later the destruction is very evident.

All three of these incidents brought home the point to me how quickly loved ones and things can be taken away and lives changed forever. My cousin not only survived the surgery but is doing well. He has a long recovery ahead of him and his prognosis is good. People are picking up their lives and starting over in the northeast. People in West Liberty continue to go on every day and rebuild their town. These three events grouped together for me this week has reminded me in a big way of  how people versus things need to be the priority in my life.