“Did you ever hear of a man who got his health by being sick? That is a Christian. He gets rich by his losses, he rises by his falls, he goes on by being pushed back, he lives by dying, he grows by being diminished, and becomes full by being emptied. Well, if the bad things work him so much good, what must his best things do? If he can sing in a dungeon, how sweetly will he sing in heaven!”

My father, who just passed on in February, was a lover of nature, and I shared that with him. It has seemed to me that this spring he has given me an ability to see even more, this one spring, when maybe his spirit still lingers, not so far away. Trees have looked greener, the sky bluer, flowers brighter. It’s all in the perception perhaps, but perception is everything. We experience a small slice of heaven, of eternal beauty and love through our surroundings. Everyone does it whether aware of it or not. As you said, in the destruction of our earthy surroundings, “God is there; but it will take considerably more faith to see Him.” It is in this knowledge that you and I, and other likeminded people experience this “psychic” pain. It is painful, painful to experience and know what is happening to the Gulf Coast, as well as to other areas around the world.

I know that as human beings use and change things, that it is not possible to have a perfect natural world, would not be normal even. The manmade marvels, beautiful architecture even enhance our world. Yet, there is a balance that could have, maybe still can, be achieved. Those whose biggest prioritiy is amassing money, without a thought of care for the natural world are WRONG, sinful. As a result of some people’s actions, others suffer and die. World climate change, wetlands destruction, rain forest destruction cause unspeakable suffering from hurricanes, flooding and other natural (or should I say unnatural) disasters. People should realize when they’ve gone too far, should change priorities.

Life on this earth is full of “bad things”, death and destruction; that is to be expected. Iif that was not true, a large part of our purpose on earth would not exist, to suffer, to learn, and become better. So this is my prayer, that in the devastation in the Gulf, people LEARN, learn quickly, and make it count! We need to stop the next, possibly even more devastating disaster from happening before it happens!