Landscape

How has your landscape changed?

As I was walking the neighborhood on Saturday, I could not help but notice the debris left behind by Hurricane Irma.  Giant Leviathan Oaks felled by just a few hours of tremendous wind and rain.  Houses that once had these beautiful trees to shade them from the intense heat of the sun are now suddenly exposed, changing their landscape forever.  When I think deeper into this, every bit of life's landscape can be changed in just a few seconds, minutes, hours or days. 


So much has happened in the last month since Hurricane Irma swept through Florida.  Mexico was hit by a very large 7.1 Earth quake that killed many people.  In seconds the entire landscape of these Mexican towns has been brought to shambles, people lives turned upside down by loss of family, friends and their homes and belongings.  Hurricane Maria a Category 5 blew through Puerto Rico leaving behind massive devastation in just a few hours.  People losing their lives, major flooding, property swept away, no food, no water and no immediate help.  It will be years before the Landscape of Puerto Rico can be rebuilt and people comfortable in their homes.  Most recently a very mentally sick Man decided to hole up in a hotel in Las Vegas with an arsenal of weapons, busts out the windows and begins shooting innocent people enjoying a music festival.  In just 20 short minutes 58 people lost their lives and over 500 more where injured and the landscape of Las Vegas is now forever changed as is the landscape of our safety and well being.


Life is so very precious and it is not sickness or illness that are our biggest worries, it is events beyond our control that have come to haunt us.  We cannot live afraid, even though life has become a series of scary events.  We must persevere, we must continue to live our lives to the fullest.  We must enjoy time with our family and friends.  We must not be afraid to meet new people and plan new adventures for ourselves. 


I choose to bring light and joy to peoples lives.  I want people to know that I am there for them to listen to just be present in the moments we have with one another.  I want my smile to bring happiness to someone who is feeling down, I want my hugs to warm someone's heart who is angry or upset, I want my deeds of goodwill to bring support and trust to those that need it most.  I want people to remember me as a good person, thoughtful and kind and that when they think of me it puts a smile on their face. 


I want my daughter to know that good things come to people who do good deeds and speak kind words.  Kindness does not cost a thing, spread it everywhere.  I want her to embrace her future with excitement and joy no matter what threatens to change her landscape.  I pray daily for her, that she will live a long life filled with adventures and opportunities for growth and understanding. I want her to be filled with love and Joy in every moment that she experiences.


Prayer is what gets me through my days.  I am thankful for the time I have been given so far and the many blessings that God has bestowed upon me.  Cancer came into my life nearly 3 years ago, threatening the landscape of my life.  It was God and his love for me that got me through those dark days.  I pray for all people in my life, my community and in my world.  There are people I know who think prayer is a waste of time; that there is no God, that this world is not worth saving.  I do not agree and I pray for them the most.  God is good always, we as humans have made the clear and conscious choice to  make this world what is it.  It is a world full of chaos, people unable to trust in others, self doubt but it is also filled with joy, awe and wonder moments and miracles that happen everyday.  I want to be part of the world that finds joy in the small things, that is thankful for its blessings large or small.  I will continue to pray for this world, praying for peace and unity, praying for less judgments and more acceptance, praying for more truth and less injustices, praying that the hungry find nourishment, the homeless find the warmth of a bed and a roof over their head and that the sick and dying find healing and passing peacefully into God's Love.


Our Landscapes will always change in someway, we must learn to live with and embrace those changes so that we can live to the fullest God has planned for us.