Earthquakes and Other Natural Disasters

You think about a catastrophe like an earthquake or tsunami in terms of overall destruction, total numbers of lost lives, dollar amounts to make repairs, etc. But think about how the lives of individual people are abruptly, drastically altered after such an event... Somebody had just driven a new car off the sales lot, and her car was washed out to sea. Somebody had just finished building a new house, and his house was reduced to a pile of sticks. Somebody had just finished paying off a mortgage, and the house is now gone. A family had just welcomed a new baby into the world that morning. A woman was in labor giving birth when the earthquake struck. People were lying sick or injured in hospital beds when their lives were suddenly ended. People were away from their homes on business or vacation and never had a chance to grab any of their belongings. Pets were crushed in the rubble and pets were drowned in the waves. Computer files, photo albums, and many keepsakes were washed away. People lost family members without even having a chance to say goodbye, and some of them won't even be afforded the closure of burying their loved ones in a proper grave. ....Please be thankful for every day that you are able to take another breath and live peacefully on this earth. It can all change in a moment.