Fire and Mother Earth

"Out of every crisis comes the chance to be reborn..." ~Nena O'Neill

                                                                        

Since May 2nd, our eyes have been glued to the TV to learn as much as possible about the disastrous fire that leveled a portion of the city of Fort McMurray in Alberta. Thousands of hectares of land covered with trees as well as peoples' property destroyed. This is truly a crisis!

Everyone you speak to these days has a relative or a friend effected by the fire. People from coast to coast to coast feel deeply about the plight of the evacuees. Compassion is evident in the continuous generous response both financially and otherwise. Daily stories about people sharing what they have and opening their homes and hearts to all is gratifying. Everyone wants to help  provide hope to those who have lost so much.

Heroes and heroines are seen daily in the courage and generosity of first responders to the disaster. Everywhere you turn you hear stories that are challenging to both firefighters and evacuees. However, it is clear that we have people of endurance and hope in this situation.

I would like to finish the  quote by Nena O'Neill: "Out of every crisis come the chance to be reborn, to reconceive ourselves as individuals, to choose the kind of change that will help us to grow and to fulfill ourselves more completely."

Here we have a situation in which over 90,000 people have had to move out of their homes because of fire. They have no choice but to change their lives. Were we in their situation, how would we handle the change? Still each individual will handle this crisis in his or her specific manner depending on his or her outlook and attitude of life. Many are overcome with the loss of everything but life itself. Overwhelmingly, though, they are not only supported by the Albertans but by all Canadians. We are one community helping those who need it.

One story this week tells how the Syrian refugees who just landed here are raising money to help the evacuees. One family member said, "We know exactly what you are going through. We lost our homes, our memories and families. It is difficult but we are grateful to have the opportunity to build a new life in a new country and to help those who need our help."

As you can see, even in the midst of crisis, good things happen.

However, we also need to look at the reality of what Mother Earth/Mother Nature is telling us. There is an imbalance in nature because of the effects of climate change. The challenge for us is to listen to her and see what we as human beings can do to bring back that balance.  What is amazing is that Mother Nature will do it whether we heed her message or not!

With regard to the land itself, an environmentalist interviewed on TV recently, pointed out  that though there is a great loss of trees, birds and animals, Mother Nature rejuvenates life. Hence, life will be bigger and better.

Apparently after the fire dies down, millions of beetles flood the area of the forest to begin the work of rebuilding. I remember my mother telling me that after a forest fire or even a brush fire, that the next year in the same place the ground would be covered abundantly with blueberry bushes. So life continues.

It is easy for me as an observer to express ideas and even platitudes. One such platitude is "There is light behind the clouds."

However, the purpose of sharing this with you is to bring hope and comfort, and be compassionate. May we continue to be supportive of one another and in every way possible help Mother Earth rejuvenate Fort McMurray and its wonderful people. Here is a wonderful opportunity to be reborn!