Tuesday, November 16, 2021

Thinking of Others, and Abundance

 


I took this photo on Monday morning as the rain poured down. With the darkness, I needed a flash to avoid blurriness. At one point I looked out from my sewing room window to see huge drops of rain falling sideways in sheets. A cup of tea and a candle served to brighten up the gloom. 

In the afternoon fierce winds blew away the rain and the blue sky shone with loveliness. Many many sections of the Island were without power - one of our daughters was without for about 6 hours, the other for 10. They live close to each other and gathered at the home with a gas stove and fireplace for warmth and dinner. 


This morning the sun slanted in with such brightness, warming the living room and casting strong shadows on the fireplace mantel. 

In the light of day, more stories of the storm's devastation became apparent. The city of Vancouver, a major port, is cut off from the rest of the country - every major road and rail line has been damaged. By extension, our island is also cut off. Sections of roads fell into rivers, landslides covered other sections with debris. People were stranded between landslides and airlifted out via helicopter, abandoning their vehicles. Rivers overflowed and many, many people fled their homes and have no place to go. The effects are staggering. 

Ships waiting to unload cargo will have to remain at sea. Supply lines must be established, somehow. There are people missing and recovery operations are underway in hopes of finding them. 

The park where I took two of our grandchildren for a hot dog roast last Friday is under water and salmon swim in the very spot we picnicked. One hospital here began flooding and much of Monday was spent making contingency plans for moving patients, while simultaneously trying to restore services. In the end, no one needed to move. 



Today, we enjoyed a hearty dinner of Swedish Meatballs, Mashed Potatoes, Acorn Squash, and Braised Red Cabbage. As I served up Tim's plate, I thought about our own safety and abundance in contrast to the loss that so many people here are facing. My heart is heavy for them, and I will be looking for ways to help. 

Hug your loved ones. Give thanks for safety and abundance. Pray for wisdom for our leaders. 




26 comments:

  1. I am very sorry for what happened to your country. Unfortunately it happens more and more frequently in Europe too. It is very difficult to find shelter for those who have lost everything. In my region we have had one big storm one month ago but we have been lucky ( for the moment) we did not have any damage, but I am not sure it will last. I hope in better days for everyone and keep them in my prayers.

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  2. Hope infrastructure can be repaired and rebuilt quickly. Devastation happens so quickly and much more often now. Glad is all well with your family and supply problems don’t cause too many shortages for everyone. B x

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  3. So sad to read about this nature catastrophy in Canada. Human beings with all their technology are helpless in front of the nature’s force. So glad you and yours are safe.

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  4. I had not heard anything at all about the devastation that had occured in your area, but I am pleased that you and the rest of your family are safe, even though your two daughters both suffered a power failure. It is at times like these that we realise just how much we are dependant on all of the services we use but tend to take for granted.

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  5. We’re watching helplessly from the east coast as the devastation mounts on the west coast. Stay safe.

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  6. I am so sorry to hear what is happening in your area! Stay safe.

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  7. A couple of days ago I looked at the map to see where you live. We've been watching the news about the terrible weather and I'm glad you let us know you are ok. We're keeping everyone there in our prayers. It's been such a hard couple of years and now the weather is wreaking havoc! Stay safe. Sweet hugs, Diane

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  8. We have just been watching the devastation in Vancouver, and thought of you. It's unthinkable that people lose their homes and in some cases, lives, I believe.

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  9. What an awful situation with the flooding etc. I saw on the news about all the flooding in that part of the world. Just makes me sad that you and others are experiencing it.

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  10. So hard to see and we can only imagine what people are going through.

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  11. So sorry for the terrible news.

    At times of such, we *should* be grateful for our coziness.

    😊 🔥 😊

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  12. Dear Lorrie, I too hadn't heard of the devastation in BC and am very sorry for the killed and missing ones and the damages.
    The photos of this post are so soothing and your words "fierce winds blew away the rain" made me happy because I love that kind of weather. But indeed these disasters happen more and more frequently.
    Thank you for your comment today. I noticed that the Google translates the word "tonttu" as "elf" but "nisse" would be a better term. Nisses are wise and usually kind. :)
    Stay well!

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  13. Things can go awry so quickly. I'm glad that you and yours are safe and well.

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  14. We're also relatively unaffected by the wind and flooding but it's so hard to see the devastation on the news and think about the problems that all this has created. Now on top of everything there is a massive fire that is filling the air with black smoke which has prompted a warning. We are to keep our windows shut ( luckily it's cold enough that we would do that anyway).

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  15. It seems Climate Change is at work, and finds us unprepared. Winter isn't yet here, officially. It starts in December. May God help us wherever we are!

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  16. All the devastation is overwhelming . One area of the country has too much rain and where I live we still are in an extreme drought. My prayers are with all those affected by the flooding.

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  17. Such sad news from beautiful BC. So very sorry to hear of such devastation from the storm. Stay safe dear and hope things will be improving soon.
    Mary x

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  18. Such a sobering post. How quickly life can change! Stopping now to pray for those affected by the devastation of the storm . . .

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  19. Dear Lorrie, I have been wondering about you. We have been receiving news about this tragedy in our area. Mike and I are not unfamiliar with such events, as we lived along the coast for 32 years and endured many hurricanes. The last one, blew off our roof and windows. We were without power for 10 days. Storms can be so freighting.

    I pray you and your family will remain safe and that help will arrive to all those in harms way. Take care and keep us posted, Lorrie.

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  20. I am sorry to hear about the devastation happening in your area, Lorrie. I keep you all in my thoughts.

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  21. Anonymous2:39 PM

    So sorry what has happened to your country. Prayers for a complete recovery and finding everyone safe. God Bless.
    Joan,Marion and Marilyn

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  22. You have my prayers. Keep safe

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  23. In the midst of the devastation and chaos, Lorrie, your post shimmers with love and hopefulness. Many prayers going up. xo

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  24. Lorrie - extreme weather is becoming more common throughout the world. It does not begin to compare with your devastation, but this week we had a wind storm that knocked down so many trees - we were without power for 36 hours. Ended up staying in a hotel for heat, a shower and flushing toilets! Loved the picture of the meal - yummy!

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