All Gone..

Yesterday we toured the damage area. Homes ripped apart, memories scattered to the winds and left to Nature's mercy. There were sewing machines laying in puddles of fetid mud. I wondered how many garments were lovingly made on it. How many baby blankets, how many costumes for the school play. I wondered about the hands that threaded the needle and pushed the fabric. Gloves sit forgotten in the same soup. Probably belonging to the hands that sewed. Another house has a cooking pot sitting forgotten on the front porch. How many meals were cooked in it? This was someone's dream home. Meals lovingly cooked and served to an eager family; prayers said and babies tucked in. Memories of hearth and home. All gone... along with the people who dreamed the dreams. Now black mold and broken glass live along with the insects and rats. Rack and ruin reign in this place. So many people are trying to help.. desperate to do something. It is just slow and hard. It was strange to be in a neighborhood where there were no people. It felt like the end of the world. All gone.... We are here trying to assimilate what has happened and not happened. Some of the people will never come back... some are dead, some are afraid, they have learned that they are not safe in their homes. They are no longer part of the dream. This place is a raw wound. God, give me strength. Lord of heaven, heal this place and her people. Bring back the families hold them in the palm of your strong hand. Lord, you know our hearts better than we ourselves do. Reach into our hearts and make them whole again. Give us peace in the midst of our troubles. Help us to always remember, you are God.