random thoughts

Well I know it's been a while since I have written anything here..... honestly most of what I have to say isn't really fit for print..... but that as they say is another story entirely.

1st I would like to say that I really like being married. God has blessed me a wonderful companion, I am so blessed that I don't think I could express it completely.

The tsunami news has affected me in an unanticipated way. 150,000 deaths seems like a lot but in the grand scheme of things the scale changes. In a little over seven years Hitler killed over 6 million people. During his reign Stalin killed tens of millions of people. Chairman Mao killed millions of people instituting his "farming reforms" and millions more political dissidents. During the 14th century 1/3 of Europe's population died from a combination of climate change, starvation, and disease. Millions die in Africa regularly due to disease and climate. These are facts that I can recall to mind at a moments notice and yet they don't really affect me in a real way, at least not like the news of this tsunami did. The tsunami was like the final piece of the puzzle the one that put all the others in context. what it spelled out is just how fragile life here is. Now actually I think I remember having the same thought during the fighting between the Hutus and the Tutsis when people where killing each other by the hundreds of thousands with machetes.

What became crystal clear for me is how our lives can change in an instant. How we could be watching the news one minute and be the news the next. That thought made me want to pray more and hug my wife tight.

I feel like there is more to say but it's late and I am tired.